Christopher & Eric, Anthony J. Stupore DREAMS Scholarship Recipients

Eric and Christopher are twin brothers who graduated from Seaford High School. Both have overcome adversity in their lives. Their father, absent for most of the time due to addiction and incarceration, left the family when the boys were young. Their mother struggled to raise and support three children and a grandparent on her salary as a teacher’s assistant. The family situation created significant financial hardship and left the boys emotionally distressed. Throughout high school, both brothers held jobs to help contribute to the family finances.  

 

Eric was class salutatorian and he used his family hardship as a life lesson to help others. Eric recognized his mother’s resilience at a young age and made it his mission to be as involved in his community and school as possible. He was participated in his school’s Shared Decision-Making Committee and was Class President, a Freshman Mentor, Drama Club Treasurer, National Honor Society member and cross-country athlete. Eric is determined to make a positive impact on the world. During high school, he was General Chair of his town’s Model Congress; Captain of his town’s Fire Department Explorer Post; has interned for Jeff Pravato’s State Senate Campaign and interned for Congressman Peter King. He is attending Fordham University majoring in International Affairs. He aspires to become a public servant. 

 

Christopher is a motivated and hard-working student who has not let the hardships his family endured distract him from his goals. While in middle school, Chris volunteered to help his sister, a member of the high school Student Council, with their food drive sorting items to be delivered to families in need. At the time, he didn’t realize his family was one of the families the food would be delivered to. When Chris entered high school, he joined Student Council and was elected President senior year. Chris also spearheaded a variety of community activities including running Clothing, Blood and Toy Drives. He even dressed as Santa for over 1,000 kids in Head Start programs, an orphanage and a hospital. He is attending SUNY Binghamton majoring in Business/Economics.