Three military academy appointments and three ROTC scholarships were presented to graduates of MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology at their graduation ceremonies June 19 on Pershing Field at Fort Hancock. Some having to make choices of which they wanted to accept.
Jasper Malles of Red Bank, declined his Navy ROTC scholarship to accept an appointment to the US Air Force Academy and Sam Puleio of Middletown declined his appointment to the Naval Academy in addition to another Navy ROTC scholarship in order to accept his appointment to the US Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut.
Gerald Flynn of Tinton Falls accepted his appointment to the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York.
Ananya Vuppala of Morganville accepted an Air Force ROTC scholarship to Yale University where she is enrolled in the Space Force program.
Jack Arhanic of Fair Haven accepted his Navy ROTC scholarship to Embry Riddle in Florida, Sofia Bracker of Little Silver, her Army ROTC scholarship to Penn State, and Noah Cuttrell of Middletown, his Army ROTC Scholarship to TCNJ.
Calvin Stern of Middletown accepted his Navy ROTC scholarship to Cornell University, and Brandon Weiss of Oceanport, who declined a Navy scholarship, is going to the University of Miami on the Army ROTC scholarship he also was awarded.
Mae Woolley of Red Bank also accepted an Army ROTC scholarship, hers to Harvard, rather than the Navy ROTC scholarship also received.
Another student in the graduating class also received a Navy ROTC scholarship to Cornell University but opted instead to attend the same University on another scholarship. He also received.
Of the 61 graduates, 60 are going on to four-year colleges and one is working towards a position in the National Hockey League by playing hockey at the Junior Level.
With more than $15 million in scholarships awarded to the 61 graduates of MAST, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology this year, it appears that perhaps their biggest problem was in deciding which of the many colleges they were offered, in many cases, more than one, they would choose for higher education.
No fewer than 56 of the graduating seniors received merit-based scholarships, which averages out to more than $257,000, or a quarter of a million dollars for each MAST graduate this year. Scholarships were awarded to more than 75 different colleges and universities throughout the United States.
The four year scholarships and military academy acceptances are in addition to the numerous other scholarships MAST students have received throughout the year and at graduation from numerous groups including the Daughters and Sons of the Revolution, the Ladies clubs, Rotary, Lions club , historical societies, and so many other local institutions that recognize the high standards these students have achieved.
Officials representing each of the branches of military were present at the graduation to make their award announcements and presentations to those accepting the military ROTC scholarships and military academy appointments. Each of the awardees is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honore Society or both and many also earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
To addition to three 2024 MAST graduates going to three military academies, where they will join with MAST graduates from the past three years and another three going to other universities on military scholarships, MAST students received scholarships to such diverse universities as Stevens Institute of Technology, Gettysburg College, Seton Hall and Catholic universities, the College of Charleston, Stockton, , Xavier, Rutgers, Villanova, Muhlenberg, Florida Institute of Technology, Dickinson, East Stroudsburg and Michigan Tech.
Students also earned scholarship to the Universities of Miami, Massachusetts at Amherst, Delaware, Rhode Island, Scranton, Molloy, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, New England, New Haven, Montclair, Widner, Fordham, Vermont, Drew, Drexel, Quinnipiac, Monmouth, Villanova, Michigan, George Washington, Georgian Court, Delaware, Rowan, Minnesota, Case Western Reserve, Temple, Scranton, Roger Williams, Northeastern, Bentley, Syracuse Embry-Riddle Aeronautical, South Carolina, Marine Maritime, DePaul, Pace, and Louisiana State.
Still more scholarships earned by MAST graduates were to High Point, RIT, Florida Southern University, William Patterson, University of Miami, West Chester, Molloy, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Nazareth College, Bentley,, Rose Humans Institute of Technology and Johnson and Wale.
