HVAC Student Receives Prestigious Technical Scholarship

Pedro Santiago, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Instructor; Brandon Caputo; Kellyn Nolan, Chief Academic Officer

Sophomore Brandon Caputo of the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology program has received a $1,250 Career & Technical Education Scholarship from Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. This scholarship is awarded to students who have faced and overcome great obstacles in their lives who wish to pursue a career or technical education at an accredited non-profit post-secondary institution in the United States. He is the first Johnson College student to receive the award in several years and was one of only 25 recipients in the state of Pennsylvania.

The scholarship opportunity was broadly promoted by the Johnson College financial aid department last spring, and was highly endorsed by administration as a reputable award that recognizes exemplary students pursuing technical occupations. Caputo said “I was so excited to receive the email that I was a 2017 Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholar. I am honored to receive this scholarship, as it will play a key role in helping me achieve my degree. Because of the generosity of Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc., the financial burden placed on me to pursue my education has been greatly reduced.”

The award was especially rewarding for Caputo, a graduate of Riverside Jr./Sr. High School, as he explained how he attributed his college success to a late friend and classmate who passed away before his second year at Johnson College. Caputo’s appreciation for the award and recognition was clear when he said, “I feel that career and technology students are often overlooked when it comes to scholarships. It is very kind of the Horatio Alger Association to give scholarships not just to ‘traditional’ college students, but to career and technology students.”

More on Horatio Alger: http://bit.ly/2z3TYUt