For Immediate Release
July 28, 2021

Suffolk Federal Credit Union Awards Scholarships to High School Grads Coming to SUNY Suffolk

From left: Suffolk County Community College VP of Institutional Advancement Mary Lou Araneo; College President Dr. Edward Bonahue; College Board of Trustee member Belinda Pagdanganan; SFCU CEO Michele Dean; Chairwoman of the Suffolk Community College Foundation Belinda Alvarez-Groneman; Jim Maggio, SFCU Board Chai; Dr. Sylvia Diaz, Suffolk Community College Foundation Executive Director; Steven Milner, Suffolk Community College Foundation Board of Directors

Suffolk Federal Credit Union presented college scholarships totaling $43,925 to six deserving high school graduates who plan to attend Suffolk County Community College this fall.

“As a community-focused credit union, we are committed to supporting hardworking students as they pursue higher education, while also easing the financial burden for their families,” said Michele Dean, CEO & President of Suffolk Federal. “We congratulate these outstanding scholarship recipients for their accomplishments and are pleased to help them achieve their educational and career goals.”

The following four Suffolk Federal Scholarship award recipients each received a scholarship of $6,275: Alex Pinto (Deer Park), Alyssia Furchert (Blue Point), Michael Krolikiewicz (Farmingville) and Zachary Gallant (Port Jefferson Station).

In addition, Juliana Ramai (Centereach) received a $6,275 scholarship from the LT Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which was matched by Suffolk Federal for a total of $12,550. Daniel Paesano (Sound Beach) was awarded $6,275 by Suffolk Federal in honor of the Michael E. Reilly Foundation Memorial Scholarship for Excellence.

Dr. Edward Bonahue, President of Suffolk County Community College, noted, “Young people are our greatest resource and best investment. Through these scholarships, Suffolk Federal demonstrates its notable commitment to helping Long Island families thrive and succeed.”

Scholarship award recipients were selected based on their academic achievements, extracurricular activities, community involvement and essays. The scholarships are a result of an ongoing partnership between Suffolk Federal and the Suffolk Community College Foundation.

According to Sylvia A. Diaz, PhD, LMSW, Executive Director, Suffolk Community College Foundation, “We are deeply gratified to continue to partner with Suffolk Federal to support exemplary students with these generous scholarships. Each of these recipients has a record of community service that reflects the values we share and the determination to succeed.”

The credit union recently expanded its charter to include Nassau County as well as Suffolk County.