Graham Bardolf, a senior at Pelham Memorial High School, was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to SUNY Maritime in the Cadet Appointment Program (CAP) by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, who can make one such award every four years.

“Receiving the CAP Scholarship is a huge honor and will have a major impact on my time at SUNY Maritime,” said Bardolf, who received the scholarship certificate from Paulin on Friday at PMHS.

The scholarship program pays the tuition for academically qualified New York residents for the four years they attend the college.

“Graham scored very high on the SUNY Maritime ranking system,” said Paulin. “His grandmother and colleagues had reached out to me. He came to my attention in multiple ways. It was an honor for me to meet him.”

“At Maritime, I will be joining the regiment where I’ll be working to obtain my deck license and be a marine transportation major while playing lacrosse,” said Bardolf. “This is a four-year program, as well as a 70-day summer sea term each summer where students in the regiment board the school’s training ship for a cruise. This summer, the ship is sailing to Norway, Portugal and New Orleans in those 70 days and will be spending a week in each port.”    

According to Bardolf, the scholarship will take a huge financial weight off his shoulders and allow him to focus more on his academics, lacrosse and training within his regiment. “The scholarship opens the door for me to fully commit to earning my deck license and pursuing my marine transportation degree without having to worry as much about the cost of education,” Bardolf said. “Being awarded the CAP Scholarship motivates me to hold myself to a higher standard, both in the classroom and on the field. As a student-athlete, time management, discipline and commitment are essential, and those qualities are also key to succeeding in the regiment.”