November 6, 2017
For Stan Serbanica, earning the 2008 Austin Hooey Scholarship and acceptance into his “dream school” of New York University was just the beginning.
There were, of course, many accomplishments leading up to that point – the three-time class president was voted by his peers the “Most Likely to Succeed” and would be the first in his family to attend college. A determined worker, Stan spent much of his senior year balancing a 4.0 grade point average with 20 hours of work per week at places like Burger King to save enough money to attend a five-week summer program at the Berklee College of Music.
But it was at NYU where Stan really started to dream big about the unique ways (and places where) he could learn and serve.
First, it was in the classroom. As Judith Graves Miller, the Chair of the Department of French put it, Stan’s papers were “routinely the best and most daring among his cohort.” She describes Stan “among the top 2% of undergraduates I have taught in my some 35-year career.”
Next it was in Ghana, where Stan joined several professors and students from the Presidential Honors Scholars group to build and paint a school and community restroom in remote village outside the city of Ho. It was, in Stan’s words at the time, the most extraordinary week of his life.
Finally, it was in the Armed Forces. By the end of Stan’s sophomore year at NYU, he found himself yearning for knowledge of a different sort – of responsibility, sacrifice, courage, and pride. This led Stan to enlist in the United States Navy for a two-year deployment.
Those two years became six years, with Stan serving onboard the USS Columbus, a fast attack submarine stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a nuclear electrician. Stan completed two Western Pacific Deployments, an Eastern Pacific Deployment, and a South American/Caribbean Deployment, traveling more than 100,00 miles underwater.
Stan is now back at NYU nearing completion of his degree in Electrical Engineering.
The route for Stan Serbanica from Chatham High School to New York University graduate has taken him to the far reaches of the globe many times over, and undoubtedly made him a more learned, well-rounded and capable citizen.
On this Veteran’s Day, we thank Hooey Scholarship recipient Stan Serbanica for his service to our country, and for showing us once again the tremendous determination and achievement of his generation.
About the Austin O. Hooey Scholarship
Ms. Austin O. Hooey graduated in 1943 from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and went on to become one of the first female financial analysts on Wall Street. She worked for investment banking company Lehman Brothers and retired in 1962 to care for her father. Ms. Hooey was an unassuming and thoughtful woman who loved animals and valued education. Her intention through the Austin O. Hooey Scholarship was to provide an opportunity for students from Chatham High School to obtain outstanding education and be exposed to experiences and opportunities that otherwise might not have been possible for them.
About Scholarship Funds at the Community Foundation
Beyond a shared commitment to educational opportunity, families establish scholarship funds with a wide range of goals and purposes in mind. They may offer traditional scholarships or customize fund awards for alternative scholarships. To learn more about how the Community Foundation can help you set up and manage a scholarship fund, contact Faith Krueger at fkrueger@cfnj.org or 973-267-5533.
Download Fact Sheet | List of Scholarship Funds