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The scholarships were granted by the Louis G. Nappi Construction Labor-Management Scholarship Fund, a major construction industry financial-aid program that was established by former Chairman Emeritus of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., Louis G. Nappi, in 2009.
The committee, whose members include representatives from both labor and management, selects scholarship candidates based on the exemplification of the “high scholastic and personal standards” necessary to further a career in the construction and building industries. This year, a total of 17 students in the area received scholarships totaling $85,000.
“This scholarship award is a living testimony to Louis Nappi,” said Ross J. Pepe, President of the Construction Industry Council. “Lou Nappi’s commitment to engineering and science lives on today in these scholarships and through you. Giving you the financial assistance to pursue 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."
Scholarship winners from Westchester County were:
- Melanie Anaya, 20, of New Rochelle, a junior health and human biology major at Brown University in Rhode Island and the daughter of a member of L.U. 60 of Hawthorne, New York
- Joseph Calandrucci, 17, of Amawalk, a freshman studying civil engineering at Manhattan College in Riverdale and the grandson of an executive of Halcyon Construction Corp., a CIC-member company
- Shaun Gacio, 19, of Mamaroneck, a sophomore studying childhood education with mathematics at SUNY Geneseo in Geneseo and 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, a junior majoring in architecture at the University of Buffalo and the son of an employee of Yonkers Contracting Company, Inc.
- Madison Highbloom, 18, of Cortlandt, a freshman studying nursing at Indiana University in Bloomington and the daughter of a member of Teamsters L.U. 456
- Alyssa Mangone, 19, of Hartsdale, is a sophomore studying mathematics and engineering at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut and 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, a sophomore studying civil engineering at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston and the daughter of a member of Heavy Construction Laborers L.U. 60
- Brandon Visoky, 20, of Peekskill, a junior studying civil engineering at Manhattan College in Riverdale and the son of a member of Teamsters L.U. 456 of Elmsford
William Mascetta, Scholarship Committee Chairman and President of Transit Construction Corp. in Mount Vernon, New York, emphasized the importance of avoiding “digital distraction” by going into the field to learn practical skills in a hands-on manner.
“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. 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,” said Mascetta. “That’s a responsibility that falls on the shoulders of everyone: you, the students, and we as members and owners in the construction industry.”
Now in its 10th year of operation, the Louis G. Nappi Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $600,000 to an estimated 120 students, many of whom are related to employees of CIC-member companies or affiliated unions such as the Laborers International Union of N.A. Local 60, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 137 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 456.
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