Lucy Grassano Scholarship Award Winners (L-R): James Plochocki, Craig Hurteau, Tony Filer, Joseph Giarraffa, and Michael Cush with NYWEA President Bob Wither

The Genesee Valley Chapter congratulates Tony Filer of Monroe County Department of Environmental Services for receiving the Lucy Grassano Scholarship! This scholarship is named after Lucy Grassano, who was a Principal Administrative Assistant at NYCDEP. She was a mentor, friend, teacher, and “mother” to many operations staff throughout the years. The scholarship is for an operator to attend their first NYWEA Annual Meeting in New York City. The recipient receives $600 from the State Chapter, and our local GV Chapter has been honoring this scholarship by matching the contribution; giving the recipient $1,200 toward conference registration, travel, lodging, and food costs. We encourage all operators who have not been to the Annual Conference to apply for this scholarship at the end of 2020. To answer some of your questions, we asked Tony about his experience.

Q: What was the process for applying?

A: The application process was straight forward. The most challenging part was the 500-word essay. It wasn’t a long essay, but I wanted to make sure I that explained well why I wanted to attend the meeting. If there are multiple applicants, the quality of the essay becomes the deciding factor.

Q: What was your favorite part of the conference?

A: I enjoyed getting to know other operators from different regions and discussing our industry. It was great to attend the sessions and hear about where the water resource recovery field is headed.

Q: Was the scholarship funding enough to cover your expenses?

A: I was fortunate enough to share a room with a coworker attending the conference, which helped with costs significantly. The hotel (Marriott) where the conference is held can be rather expensive, but there were more affordable options a couple blocks away. I was able to attend the meeting without personally financing any of it.