Local Company Awards Scholarships to Wyandanch Students

Melville, NY – Several Wyandanch Memorial High School college-bound seniors have been selected to receive academic scholarships from a Melville energy services company acknowledging their pursuit of careers in engineering.

The awards are being made by Ameresco, Inc. through the company’s Better Schools Partnership.

The scholarship winners are Chidubem Uzoeshi (University of New Haven), Luis Gutierrez (Dowling College or Manhattan College) and David Douglas-Lamar Jr. (Farmingdale State College or Manhattan College). The students will split $5,000.

Ameresco’s Better School Partnership is designed to encourage students to take their interests in mathematics, science and engineering to the next educational level.

Officials at Wyandanch Memorial High School helped select the students, all of whom have achieved academic excellence at the school.

“Rarely do we find such fine young African American and Hispanic scholars aspiring to become engineers,” said Denise Gibbs director of student services for the Wyandanch Union Free School District. “The support they’ve received from our schools, and now from our business partner Ameresco will make all the difference in the world on their road to success. It is a pleasure to partner with businesses such as Ameresco to increase the likelihood of our student’s future success. Thank you Ameresco!”

In recent years, Ameresco has awarded $70,000 to deserving students in southeast New York alone. The company works with schools that show an interest in becoming more environmentally friendly and energy efficient, and also offer classes in the sciences and engineering.

“We see a tremendous need in the workforce for more math and science professionals,” said Richard E. Kohrs who manages business development in Ameresco’s Melville and Newburgh offices. “Sometimes students need a little extra support to consider careers in these areas in those areas and that’s what we’re attempting to achieve.”

Ameresco works with schools and other public and commercial building owners across the United States to reduce energy costs through the use of energy efficient technologies as well as clean energy sources including solar panels, wind turbines, and landfill gas.

The awards to the students will be made as part of a ceremony acknowledging outstanding Wyandanch Memorial High School graduating seniors. It will be held in the high school auditorium on Thursday June 12 at 7:00pm.