Bridget Giovenco 2012-2013 Academic Year SEA Scholarship Recipient

Surfers’ Environmental Alliance awards two different academic scholarships each year.  It’s always nice to hear from our recipients. Here is what one of our 2012-2013 recipients, Bridget Giovenco, is up to now and what she has to say about the SEA Scholarship! For more on our scholarships go to www.seasurfer.org/sea-scholarships.

“I graduated magna cum laude from West Chester University in May of 2016 with a BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a double minor in Linguistics and Deaf Studies.

For the past 18 months, I worked with a major pharmaceutical company as it embarked on a new project. I was a project administrator in the engineering department in Somerset County, NJ and I was responsible for facilitating communication between the project leads and the local site. During that time, I gained valuable experience in scheduling, management and network support as well as the review of learning plans and project documents.

While I enjoyed my position immensely in the Pharma industry, I realized recently that I needed to work toward a career which will offer me a more personal sense of satisfaction. In that regard, I have recently applied, and was accepted to, the nursing program at Middlesex County College. Within two years, I will have completed the requirements to become an RN. Beyond that, I plan to continue my studies and work toward a BSN. As it now stands, I begin classes on September 4th, and due to the structure of the course, I will be working in a clinical capacity at Raritan Bay Hospital within the first week of classes! This is such an exciting time for me as I embark on a personally rewarding career, one in which I know I will have a direct personal impact on other human beings.

On a personal note, over the past two-three years, I have enjoyed travel to other parts of the USA as well as to parts of Europe including England, France and Italy, and most recently, Barcelona, Spain. Learning about different cultures is a favorite pastime of mine, and I fully enjoyed seeing other parts of the world and recognizing the differences as well as the similarities among us.

In my spare time, I am still doing volunteer work with the Sayreville Brain Injured Children, as we prepare for our upcoming 5K Hit the Bricks Race in October. We recently finished designing the t-shirt and we are just beginning to advertise and promote this year’s race on social media. I have also marked my calendar for the August 10th POAC Day of Surf, which is being held in Seaside Park, NJ. As a family, we all volunteer to help out, and it has become one of the most enjoyable days of our summer. Last summer, we invited our neighbor’s grandson along, who is 8 years old and has autism. The smile on his face was a sight that we will never forget. His entire family was amazed as he enjoyed wave after wave, and he seemed to find a certain peace when he entered the water. Our neighbors continue to tell us how grateful they are that we introduced Kyle to the POAC Day of Surf, and his family is eagerly anticipating this year’s event. We are all hoping for great weather and good waves on August 10th!

Once again, I wish to thank the SEA for the scholarship which I was awarded in 2012, as it helped me to reach my goals, achieve my expectations and reach for even more opportunities in my future! Thank you to all of the members and sponsors of this scholarship!”

Bridget Giovenco

2012-2013 Academic Year SEA Scholarship Recipient