(ISELIN, NJ) —The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) New Jersey Chapter has awarded $10,000 in scholarships to high school seniors as part of its annual scholarship program.
The NAWC-NJ Chapter awards scholarships annually to students who will be attending a New Jersey college or university and are interested in pursuing a career in the water utility industry or related fields, such as natural resource management, environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering and more. This year’s recipients each received a $5,000 scholarship award.
Milind Bangalore, a 2022 graduate of Morristown High School will attend Princeton University where she will apply computer science to biochemistry and environmental chemistry. Cole Veras, a 2022 Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest graduate, plans to study civil engineering at The College of New Jersey.
“The level of applicants that we receive each year never ceases to amaze me,” said Jay L. Kooper, vice president, general counsel & secretary at Middlesex Water Company and chair of the NAWC-NJ Chapter. “In a crowded field of exceptional students, Milind and Cole stood out due to their incredible backgrounds in the sciences and passions for helping others in the communities. We will anxiously watch them throughout their college careers to see how they will continue to positively influence the world around them. The entire NAWC-NJ Chapter congratulates Milind and Cole on their academic achievements and are happy to play a role in helping them to advance their goals.”
Milind is a guide at the Morris Museum’s Guinness Gallery as well as an ambassador at its Smithsonian Spark!Lab. She interned with the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she worked with a team to develop an analysis software to examine the success of metabolizing carcinogens being released into the environment. Milind also founded a tutoring program to help low-income students, was captain of the math team, co-president of Mu Alpha Theta (Honors Society). She participated in the national Chemistry Olympiad, plays the violin and has conducted independent research and presented the findings at a New York Academy of Sciences Workshop.
Cole is an Eagle Scout and Junior Assistant Scout Master. He also is a board-certified volunteer firefighter who is CPR/AED certified for all ages whose actions have saved lives – including his own. In high school, Cole participated in track, was in the band and was a candidate for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Foundation. Cole also worked as a counselor at the Closter Recreation Summer Camp. He plans to use his chemical engineering degree to design and build more environmentally friendly, efficient and safe structures for public use. He plans include obtain a master’s degree becoming a professional engineer focused on sustainability.
For more information on the scholarship and to learn how to apply for next year, visit the NJ Chapter page at www.nawc.org. To learn more about careers or internships in water, contact your local NAWC member company.
ABOUT NAWC-NJ
NAWC-NJ is a trade association comprised of investor-owned water service companies that provide essential water and wastewater services in New Jersey. Collectively, NAWC-NJ members serve approximately 4.4 million people throughout the state. For information about the National Association of Water Companies visit www.nawc.org.
Contact: Jenn Kocher