Nappi Scholarship Awards $85,000 to 17 Hudson Valley Students

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (November 1, 2019) — Seventeen Hudson Valley students returned for the fall semester each armed with a $5,000 grant from the Louis G. Nappi Construction Labor-Management Scholarship Fund for undergraduate and graduate studies in mathematics, the sciences, engineering and technology for the 2019-20 academic year.

The scholarship, a major construction industry financial-aid program, was established in 2009 by Louis G. Nappi (1920-2014), a former Chairman Emeritus of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. It was his vision that the hard sciences of mathematics and engineering were keys to re-establishing the U.S. as a world leader in construction infrastructure.

Comprising representatives from both labor and management, the Louis G. Nappi Scholarship Committee carefully selects candidates who exemplify the high scholastic and personal standards needed to advance in the construction and building industries.

“This scholarship award is a living testimony to Louis Nappi,” said Ross J. Pepe, President of the Construction Industry Council, of which Nappi was chairman from 1986 to 1991. “Lou Nappi’s commitment to engineering and science lives on today in these scholarships and through you. Giving you the financial assistance to purse higher education and advanced degrees, Mr. Nappi believed the future of the nation’s construction and building industries would regain its global competitiveness and preeminence,” Pepe said.

Scholarship Committee Chairman William Mascetta, President of Transit Construction Corp. of Mount Vernon, N.Y., stressed the importance of going into the field, to learn practical skills, and avoid “digital distraction.”

“In this age of technology and unfettered access to information, technology has advanced so far in such a short period of time and we all rely on it very heavily,” Mascetta said. “We’re more comfortable seeing things on a phone or tablet screen and not getting out there and touching and feeling the projects we’re building. That’s a responsibility that falls on the shoulders of everyone: you the students and we as members and owners in the construction industry.”

Marking its 10th anniversary, the Louis G. Nappi Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $600,000 to some 120 students. Most of the candidates live in the seven-county region of the lower Hudson Valley – Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Columbia, Ulster, Orange and Rockland – and are related to employees of CIC-member companies or affiliated unions. The participating labor unions are Laborers International Union of N.A. Local 60, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 137, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 456.

For information on the program, contact Karen Zedda at (914) 631-6070 or Karen@cicnys.org.

Scholarship Winners

Melanie Anaya, 20, of New Rochelle, N.Y., is a junior at Brown University in Rhode Island, majoring in health and human biology. She is the daughter of a member of L.U. 60 of Hawthorne, N.Y. Her father is employed by Northbrook Contracting, Corp.

Samantha Argenio, 19, of Carolina Beach, N.C., is a sophomore studying business administration at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. She is the granddaughter of a principal of Argenio Brothers, Inc., a member company of the Contractors Association of Rockland County.

Sebastian Arreola, 18, of Danbury, Conn., is a freshman studying computer engineering at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn. He is the grandson of a member of Heavy Construction Laborers L.U. 60.

Samantha Baker, 24, of Holmes, N.Y., is a senior studying nursing at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, N.Y. She is the daughter of a member of Operating Engineers L.U. 137.

Joseph Calandrucci, 17, of Amawalk, N.Y., is a freshman studying civil engineering at Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y. He is the grandson of an executive of Halcyon Construction Corp., a CIC-member company.

Ryan Danyluk, 18, of New Windsor, N.Y., is a sophomore studying civil engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He is the son of an employee of CIC-members Walsh Construction and Tutor Perini Civil Corp. of New Rochelle, N.Y.

Juliet DeNapoli, 18, of Bay Shore, N.Y., is a freshman studying electrical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. She is the daughter of an employee of KND Electric.

Pat Fortunato, 20, of Fairfield, Conn., is a senior studying computer science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. He is the grandson of a member of Operating Engineers L.U. 137.

Shaun Gacio, 19, of Mamaroneck, N.Y., is a sophomore studying childhood education with mathematics at SUNY Geneseo in Geneseo, N.Y. He is the son of a member of Heavy Construction Laborers L.U. 60 who is an employee at Tappan Zee Constructors.

Andrew Griffin, 20, of Yonkers, N.Y., is a junior majoring in architecture at the University of Buffalo. He is the son of an employee of Yonkers Contracting Company, Inc.

Madison Highbloom, 18, of Cortlandt, N.Y., is a freshman studying nursing at Indiana University in Bloomington. She is the daughter of a member of Teamsters L.U. 456.

Andrew Kurth, 19, of New Canaan, Conn., is a sophomore studying chemical engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He is a great-grandson of CIC Chairman Emeritus Louis G. Nappi.

Alyssa Mangone, 19, of Hartsdale, N.Y., is a sophomore studying mathematics and engineering at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. She is the granddaughter of an employee of CIC-member Bay Crane who is also a member of Operating Engineers L.U. 137.

Taylor Ann Reilly, 19, of Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., is a sophomore studying civil engineering at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. She is the daughter of a member of Heavy Construction Laborers L.U. 60.

Noah Rodriguez, 18, of Mahopac, N.Y., is a sophomore studying finance and architecture at Ohio State University in Columbus. He is the son of an employee of Danella Construction, a CIC-member company.

Albert Rossi, 21, of Patterson, N.Y., is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering at Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y. He is the son of a member of Operating Engineers L.U. 137.

Brandon Visoky, 20, of Peekskill, N.Y., is a junior studying civil engineering at Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y. He is the son of a member of Teamsters L.U. 456 of Elmsford, N.Y.