Freeholders honor three county VoTech scholarship recipients

Photo Courtesy of Glen Frieson
From left are NJAC Foundation Executive Director John Donnadio, Freeholder Carlos Pomares, Aaron Stultz, PSEG Regional public affairs manager Caren Freyer DeSouza, Wendy Yupa, Freeholder Patricia Sebold and Freeholder President Brendan Gill.

NEWARK, NJ — On July 10, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders honored three recent high school graduates from the Essex County Vocational Technical Schools who were awarded scholarships from the New Jersey Association of Counties Foundation, Investors Bank and PSEG.

The scholarship awards recognize distinguished students from technical and vocational schools who plan to pursue higher education in the state of New Jersey. Investors Bank and PSEG awarded the NJAC Foundation grants, which are used to fund the honorees continuing education at a county college, or a state college or university.

“As president of NJAC and president of the Board of Freeholders, it is my honor to be a part of this presentation,” Freeholder President Brendan Gill said at the event. “The NJAC Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to providing innovative educational opportunities for county vocational schools and county college students. In addition to NJAC, both Investors Bank and PSEG have been instrumental in this scholarship. We certainly appreciate their support for our youth as well.”

This year’s honorees were Aaron Stultz and Kamari Snow, graduates of Essex County Schools of Technology, and Wendy Yupa, a graduate of the Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology. The honorees expressed their gratitude to be chosen as recipients of the award and their appreciation for all the help they received from family and friends.

Stultz will attend Stevens Institute of Technology and major in mechanical engineering. He is eager to cultivate and apply problem-solving skills that will make the world a better place through the field of mechanical engineering. He has always been intrigued about the way the world works. He attributes this to his father, Dennis Stultz, who works in construction, and has a career focused on problem solving and designing solutions within the realm of engineering.

Snow will attend New Jersey Institute of Technology in the fall. He will follow his passion for engineering and technological development, and intends to major in computer engineering. His teachers describe him as a dedicated student, who models maturity, dignity and kindness. He is a member of Newark Tech’s Technology Enabled Active Learning Program, volunteers at community development sessions and works on robots in his spare time.

Yupa will continue her education this coming fall at Kean University, majoring in computer engineering. She has been a member of the National Honor Society for two years, and participated in many clubs and extracurricular activities including the girls soccer team. In her senior year, she became a senior mentor for ninth graders and, through her passion for her desired career path, joined the Girls Who Code club.