For Immediate Release
June 25, 2019

Nolan Smith Awarded the Gilbert Fund Scholarship

Pictured l. to .r - Christopher Williams, Esq, director of development; Lisa Calla, Esq, member, Gilbert Committee; Suffolk Community College Foundation Board of Directors; Gilbert Scholar Nolan Smith and Sylvia A. Diaz, PhD, LMSW, executive director, Suffolk Community College Foundation.

East Patchogue's Nolan Smith, a Suffolk County Community College student studying for a Cybersecurity and Information Assurance Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree has been awarded a Gilbert Fund Scholarship by the Suffolk Community College Foundation.

Established in the early 1970’s with a gift from the Estate of Henry Gilbert, a prominent Suffolk resident, the fund provides both direct student support and academic program enhancement. The scholarship was established by the Suffolk Community College Foundation in 2018 and awards up to $10,000 annually to promising Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who are advancing their education and transforming their lives at New York’s largest and most comprehensive two-year institution of higher learning. “We are delighted that Nolan Smith is among the first class of Gilbert Scholars at Suffolk County Community College, where for more than four decades the Gilbert Fund has provided support to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students,” explained Gary Joel Schacker, Chairman of the Gilbert Fund Committee, principal at United Realty and a veteran member of the Board of Directors of the Suffolk Community College Foundation.

“Nolan’s outstanding academic achievement, his active participation in campus life and his keen interest in the emerging field of cybersecurity affirm the promise of the Gilbert Fund’s critical role at the College.” In addition to his recognition as a Gilbert Scholar, Nolan Smith will serve as a Gilbert Ambassador, sharing his insight and guidance with Deaf and Hard of Hearing students throughout the region who are aspiring to advance their education at Suffolk County Community College.