American Water announced recipients of the 24th annual James V. LaFrankie Scholarship Awards. The awards were distributed nationwide to nine college-bound children of full-time American Water employees, who demonstrate an interest in water-related industry occupational fields.
American Water selected nine high school seniors based on their outstanding high school records, academic honors, participation in extracurricular activities and teacher recommendations. The scholarships are awarded for a term of one year in individual awards of $1,000. Scholarship renewal is contingent upon the student's academic progress and may be renewed up to three years.
The scholarship award recipients are as follows:
- Brian Green of Whiting, N.J., son of Joseph Green, utility mechanic in Lakewood, N.J.;
- Cody Snyder of New Castle, Pa., son of Kristen Snyder, production supervisor in New Castle, Pa.;
- Rachel Baldwin of Brighton, Ill., daughter of Delores Goforth, scheduling/analyst in Alton, Ill.;
- Elaina Roach of Fishers, Ind., daughter of Gregory Roach, manager of revenue analytics in Greenwood, Ind.;
- Risha Parikh of Johns Creek, Ga., daughter of Paresh Parikh, senior engineer in Fort Hood, Tex.;
- Katherine Daly of Newtown, Pa., daughter of Robert Daly, information technology services manager in Voorhees, N.J.;
- Nicole and Rachel Baxter-Green of Bridgewater, N.J., daughters of Scott Baxter-Green, water quality manager in Bridgewater, N.J.; and
- Shane Braunworth of Allentown, N.J., son of Thomas Braunworth, supervisor in Shrewsbury, N.J.
“We are proud to award these scholarships to such extraordinary students who not only achieved the highest academic standards but also have an interest in water-related industry occupational fields,” said BJ Holdnak, vice president of human resources. “It is important to us that we give students the opportunity to advance their education and support their academic and future career endeavors. We congratulate all of our winners and wish them the best of luck in their academic careers.”
The American Water board of directors established the scholarship program in 1991 in honor of former American Water president, James LaFrankie. LaFrankie demonstrated the value he placed on college education by earning a degree at Georgetown University night school while working days at the Alexandria Virginia Water Company, now known as Virginia American Water. After that, LaFrankie excelled, climbing the ladder to increasingly responsible positions over his 44-year career with American Water, retiring as the company’s president in 1991.
Source: American Water
