BCANJ Awards Four Scholarships Totaling $28,000

Four New Jersey students received college scholarships totaling $28,000 from the Edison, N.J.-based Building Contractors Association of New Jersey. Awarded through the BCANJ's Eighth Annual Presidents' Scholarship Program, the scholarships were presented to the students at the awards ceremony

The 2006 scholarship recipients were selected from more than 35 qualified applicants. Each recipient will receive $2,000 for each of the years they attend an accredited college or university and maintain a minimum of 12 credits per semester toward their undergraduate degree, up to a maximum of four years. The BCANJ Presidents' Scholarship Fund is open to dependents and grandchildren of active BCANJ members, as well as contributors to an industry advancement fund to which BCANJ is party. Since its inception in 1999, the program has committed $179,000 in scholarships to 33 deserving, well-rounded individuals. "The selection process was once again extremely difficult," said BCANJ Executive Director Darlene Regina. "All the applicants had very impressive credentials and accomplishments. Thus, this year's recipients are certainly very deserving of the award."

Scholarship Recipients for 2006 include Ryan Fallon of Howell, N.J. Ryan knew he was a builder from childhood, and in 2005 proved that when his Technology Student Association project placed second in the state. In 2006, his latest TSA project, an anti-drowning device for children in the bathtub, won first prize, and Ryan and his TSA partner will represented New Jersey at the National TSA Conference in Dallas. Ryan also volunteers with the Paterson Habitat for Humanity. A graduate of the highly competitive High Technology High School located on the campus of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, Ryan earned a 3.75 GPA for high school and a 3.92 GPA for Brookdale. His cumulative SAT score was 1950. Ryan is a member of the National Honor Society and won the Canada Dry Graphic Design Award. Entering Lehigh University this fall, he plans to pursue a career in civil engineering.

Other recipients include: Heather Bauer of West Orange, whose goal is to become a school psychologist, and who will begin her studies at American University in Washington, D.C.; Ashley Koning of Martinsville, N.J., who is already a student at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., entering her junior year, where she majors in government with a minor in music and carries a 3.86 GPA, and; Caitlin Petry of Fairfield, who will enter Villanova University this fall to major in business management and minor in international business, with a goal of establishing her own law firm.

Established in 1937, the Edison-based Building Contractors Association of New Jersey is made up of some 225 active and associate members who are engaged in commercial, institutional and industrial construction.