Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C., has awarded scholarships to four veterans who are now enrolled at Nassau Community College.
“As our troops return home it is incumbent upon the Long Island business community to assist these heroic men and women with transitioning into civilian life,” said Managing Attorney Lois Schlissel. “It is essential that we create jobs for those who served and help fund their education so that they can compete for jobs in this very difficult economic climate.”
The Meyer Suozzi scholarship committee was chaired by A. Thomas Levin, chair of the firm’s Municipal Law, Land Use and Environmental Compliance practice and the Professional Responsibility practice.
The scholarship recipients are: Andrew Kaelin of Oceanside, former Oceanside resident Dana Mahan (now living in Amityville), Michael Stapleton of Lynbrook and Ryan McCrory of Wantagh.
Twenty-four year old Andrew Kaelin is a 2005 graduate of Oceanside High School. An Army Sargent in the 82nd Airborne, he was deployed to Afghanistan twice and received the Purple Heart for injuries suffered on Jan. 28, 2008.
Kaelin says the 82nd had been in Afghanistan for six months by the time he joined them after completing a training program at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. His unit had not seen any frontline action at all during this time. However within days of his arrival they moved to the frontlines, and in his very first mission, his unit was attacked by a rocket propelled grenade. A few days later he was injured when the vehicle he was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb. His unit was also involved in a major firefight with enemy units.
Upon his discharge from the Army, Kaelin reenrolled in Nassau Community College. He says it has been a far more successful experience than his first effort in 2005, when he received one “C” grade and either failed or withdrew from the rest of his classes. He currently has a 3.7 grade point average and has scored straight “A” grades the last two semesters.
Kaelin is now applying to Columbia University and hopes to one day attend law school. He says he will use the scholarship money to defray the cost of his application to the Ivy League school.
Amityville resident Dana Mahan grew up just down the street from Kaelin in Oceanside. Mahan enlisted in the Navy in 2006. The 26 year old graduated from Oceanside High School in 2003. He says before his time in the Navy, he was immature and not concerned with his future or his education. He says his first stay at NCC was far from successful, but he says his priorities are now in order and he is proud of the 3.2 grade point average he has achieved. After he completes his studies at Nassau Community College, Mahan is hoping to attend the Maritime College in the Bronx, and may pursue a career as a firefighter. He will utilize the scholarship to pay for the high cost of books.
