Three SUEZ Scholarships to Pearl River, Tappan Students

SUEZ and the New York Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies have announced the Rockland County recipients of the 2016 student scholarships.

The $3,000 scholarships will go to Matthew Ding and Brandon Kline, both seniors at Pearl River High School, and William Wilkinson, a senior at Tappan Zee High School.

The scholarship is designed to assist eligible high school seniors who will attend college in New York state and pursue degrees related to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The winners were recently honored at an awards dinner at the Hotel Thayer in West Point.

A three-person panel reviewed scholarship applications from students across the state. The judges were: Dorothy Filoramo, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Dominican College; Susan Wilmink, Development Director at Keep Rockland Beautiful Inc.; and Frank Borelli, Councilman in the Town of Clarkstown.

“We know that it’s critically important to support bright, hard-working young people who will serve as the future leaders of the water industry,” said Chris Graziano, vice president and general manager of SUEZ operations in New York, in the announcement. “This program allows students to gain the resources they need to pursue higher education in STEM-related fields. We are very pleased to provide these scholarship opportunities and would like to congratulate these three students on all of their accomplishments thus far in their academic careers. We know the future looks bright for them.”

• Matthew Ding, of Orangeburg, attends Pearl River High School, where he was one of the top 100 finalists in the 2015 National Chemistry Olympiad. He was president of his high school’s Science Olympiad Team, winning three gold medals during his career, and also served as captain and top scorer in the Rockland County Math League. Ding volunteers at the Good Samaritan Hospital emergency room and with the local ambulance corps. He is headed to Columbia University to study chemistry and biochemistry.
• Brandon Kline, of Pearl River, attends Pearl River High School and has received numerous academic honors. During his time at Pearl River, he was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Rho Kappa. He also served as treasurer of the Science Olympiad Club. Kline is an avid volunteer, working with Pearl River Public Library, Good Samaritan Hospital and the Pearl River Interfaith Blood Drive. This fall, he will attend Marist College, majoring in computer science.
• William Wilkinson, of Tappan, attends Tappan Zee High School, where he served as class secretary and a member of the National Honor Society. He has received several awards, including the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, the University of Rochester George Eastman Young Leaders Award and the Tappan Zee High School Showcase Award. Wilkinson will attend Cornell University, where he will study information science.

PHOTO: Pearl River High’s Matthew Ding, Pearl River High’s Brandon Kline, Chris Graziano, vice president and general manager of SUEZ and Tappan Zee High’s William Wilkinson/contributed