100 Club awards $14,000 in scholarships

The 100 Club of Buffalo Inc. has awarded 20 scholarships totaling $14,000 to area students through its Scholarship of Excellence program. Scholarships ranging from $250 to $2,000 were presented to high school seniors and college students who are children of active first responders, including law enforcement, fire and/or emergency medical personnel, or are active first responders themselves.

The scholarship recognizes students who have exemplified outstanding achievement in academics, extracurricular/employment activities and community involvement. Money for the scholarships is raised through the annual 100 Club Scholarship Golf Tournament.

This year's recipients represent more than 20 different public safety officer agencies in the Western New York area. Top winners and their parents were feted with a luncheon at the Buffalo Club.

Following are 2013 scholarship recipients:

•Williamsville North High School graduate Nicholas Christiano will attend St. John Fisher College in the fall and will pursue a finance degree, with an eye toward a career in investment banking. Nick played two sports, was in two bands, and works four part-time jobs at Williamsville North. He volunteers with SABAH and also was involved in DECA, Student Council, and several other not-for profit organizations during high school. He lives in East Amherst.

•Lauren Habermehl attends Daemen College and is pursuing a BS/MS degree in the physician assistant studies program. She has maintained an overall 3.83 grade-point average and a place on the dean's list for all semesters of college. Lauren has worked in the admissions office and as a student assistant to the college president. She has been active with the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and a health fair for the Seneca-Babcock community. The Cheektowaga resident also is a member of Students Without Border and traveled the Dominican Republic last year providing free medical care to local patients.

•Buffalo resident Emily Heitzhaus graduated from Nichols School. With a passion for math and physics, she will be attending Rochester Institute of Technology, and will be working toward an engineering degree. Emily was involved in Nichols Science Olympiad Team, as well as basketball and volleyball teams, and her school's student council. She is active in her church, and works at Hampton Inc.

•Alyssa Lombardi graduated from Clarence High School and will be attending the University of Rochester working toward a degree in psychology. Alyssa was active in sports and music. She volunteers at Vive LA casa refugee shelter and at Equistar, a therapeutic horseback riding center. She lives in East Amherst.

•Emily Michel from Cheektowaga attended Maryvale High School. She was her school's valedictorian, is a STEM aerospace scholar, was member of the Diversity Club, and won writing awards on the Holocaust. Emily will be attending Messiah College studying aerospace engineering.

•Christine Murphy graduated Williamsville North High School and will be attending Cornell University, where she will be pursuing a degree in biology, with further aspirations for medical school. She volunteers at Kenmore Mercy Hospital and Amherst Youth Court, has danced for as long as she has been walking, was captain of her field hockey team, plays the flute, and works at Tim Hortons. She lives in Getzville.

•Michael Patterson is a University at Buffalo student pursuing a degree in biomedical sciences, with a goal to become an orthopedic trauma surgeon. He is new first responder, a member of the part of the volunteer EMS response team for the Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Association, as well as firefighter. He joined the fire company two years ago, and has completed training while also maintaining a full academic schedule in college, and a 3.8 GPA. Michael lives in Lancaster.

•Melissa Vaughn lives in Orchard Park and attended Orchard Park High School. Melissa received the Orchard Park Pride Award, which recognizes students who have a solid work ethic, involvement and impact. An academic leader, she played on three sports teams, set the school record in the 100-meter hurdles, and was admitted into the Academy of Finance, which allowed her to work in the student-run credit union and manage the student-run bookstore. She interned with the Buffalo Bills and also has worked on a political campaign. Melissa will be attending St. John Fisher College pursuing a degree in nursing, leading to a career as a nurse practitioner.

•Teylor Woodward graduated Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. She has a broad range of academic, leadership, artistic and volunteer activities, and as part of these efforts traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Rome, Lichtenstein and many other countries. She volunteers as a CERT participant where she acts as a victim for training exercises. Teylor plans to attend Fisk University in Nashville and pursue a degree in chemistry/pre-dental. She lives in Buffalo.

•Canisius High School graduate Matthew Zamorek will be attending the University at Buffalo, where he will pursue a degree in engineering. The Cheektowaga resident is active at his church, has been a long-time Boy Scout, volunteers at Ederwood Health Care and works at Wegmans.

Additional scholarship recipients include:

•Jessica Benton, Buffalo

•Krista Blask, Depew

•Nathan Hejza, Pendleton

•Eric Hurlburt, West Seneca

•Ryan Joslyn, Angola

•Connor Joyce, Orchard Park

•Kelsey Martin, Depew

•Brittany Packard, Lackawanna

•Emily Scioli, East Amherst

•Chelsea Ulrich, Derby

The 100 Club of Buffalo Inc. is an independent, nonprofit, nonpolitical organization. Its purpose is to provide service to the members of local law enforcement, fire services and emergency medical services and their families. Established in 1957 to provide cash assistance to the families of police officers killed in the line of duty, the 100 Club has grown to provide scholarships, educational assistance and awards to the members and families of the police, fire and emergency medical service agencies of Western New York.