GLENS FALLS – The Grishkot Foundation announces the awarding of $77,500, payable over up to four years, in scholarships for college students from Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties.
Each recipient will receive a $2,500 scholarship for the 2023-24 college year, with some recipients receiving continued annual scholarships for up to three additional years, provided the recipient remains in the program of study in good academic standing.
Recipients are:
Joan Grishkot Memorial Scholarships for careers in nursing and related health care fields –
Samantha Rocco, a graduating senior at Mechanicville High School who will attend Union College in the fall as a pre-med student majoring in biology.
Sydney Keenan, a graduating senior at Hudson Falls who will attend Vassar College in the fall as a pre-med student majoring in neuroscience.
Jacqueline Hogan, a Glens Falls high school graduate who is a medical student at SUNY Upstate at Syracuse
Garrett Lamouree, a Queensbury High school graduate who is enrolled at Binghamton University and will be enrolling at Norton College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate at Syracuse.
Honorable Mention
Norah Niesz, a graduating senior at Greenwich High School who will major in biomedical science at St. Lawrence University in the fall.
Sophia Herzog, a graduating Saratoga Springs senior who will attend SUNY Upstate at Syracuse in the fall to study for a career as a physician/scientist.
Shauna Mower, a graduating senior at Queensbury High School who will enroll at Connell School of Nursing at Boston in the fall.
Matthew Shakow, a graduating senior at Saratoga Springs High School who will study for a career as a dermatologist.
Walter Grishkot Memorial Scholarships for careers in aviation, aeronautics engineering and related health care careers –
Ishan Swali, a graduating senior at Shen High School who will enroll at Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall to study aerospace engineering and artificial intelligence.
Andrew Hope, a graduating senior at Saratoga Springs who will enroll at University of Michigan in the fall with majors in physics and aerospace engineering.
Sahil Swali, a Shen High School graduate who is studying aerospace engineering at the University of Toronto.
Honorable mention
Kara Davenport, a graduating senior at Ballston Spa High School who will study to become a corporate pilot.
The scholarships were presented June 7 at a meeting of the Glens Falls Kiwanis Club at The Queensbury Hotel.
The Grishkot Foundation partnered this year with the Glens Falls Kiwanis Foundation to administer the scholarship application and review process, with The Grishkot Foundation making the final decision on awards.
“With 65 applicants, it was a time-consuming process which the Kiwanis Foundation handled efficiently and expertly,” said Maury Thompson, president of The Grishkot Foundation. “The Kiwanis Foundation developed a scoring system which applied a holistic approach to the review process, factoring in leadership as well as academics.”
The scholarship distribution is, by far, the foundation’s largest distribution of scholarships since its founding in 2009.
The distribution is possible due to a generous bequest from Joan Grishkot, the foundation’s co-founder.
Joan Grishkot, who died July 8, 2021, was Warren County director of public health for 31 years.
As a volunteer, Joan served on the boards of 28 regional health care organizations and charitable groups.
“Joan recognized the importance of neighbors helping neighbors, and endowed this scholarship fund to invest in the career development of local students for decades to come,” Thompson said.
Prior to her death, Joan Grishkot was instrumental in the funding, application process and awarding of the annual Walter Grishkot Memorial Scholarship program.
Joan was the wife of Walter, best known locally as co-founder and long-time organizer of The Adirondack Balloon Festival.
“Joan’s interest in scholarship recipients didn’t stop with awarding the scholarships. She stayed in touch with scholars or their families and delighted to share their academic progress with others,” Thompson said.
The foundation added the Joan Grishkot Memorial scholarship program this year.
A volunteer board manages the foundation’s investments and operates scholarship programs in collaboration with the Glens Falls Kiwanis Club Foundation.
Information about the foundation and about the legacy of Walter and Joan Grishkot can be found at grishkotfoundation.org.
PO Box 91
Glens Falls, NY 12801
grishkotfoundation@gmail.com
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