County officials and the New Jersey Association of Counties Foundation presented scholarship awards and certificates to two students from Somerset County Vocational Technical High School during the meeting.

"My name is John Donati. I'm the executive director," John Donati said as he introduced the awards on behalf of the foundation and corporate sponsors. Donati said the foundation and companies including PSE&G, Amazon, AT&T and SHI International contributed to more than $110,000 in scholarships statewide this year.

One recipient, Dominic Elias, a 12th‑grade student enrolled in the Mechatronics/Advanced Manufacturing program, received a scholarship and an award certificate. A foundation recommendation letter read in part that Elias "is engaged in a rigorous curriculum at RVCC where he learns alongside both RVCC and VOTEC instructors" and that the program emphasizes robotics, coding, machining and advanced manufacturing. Elias told the room he will attend Stevens Institute of Technology this fall to study mechanical engineering and said he planned to use the award to help pay tuition: "I'm definitely putting this towards my school because it's expensive."

Kenneth Ponteris received the AT&T scholarship award. Donati's remarks described Ponteris as having a 3.4 GPA and above‑average performance in VOTEC coursework, including Computer Science Essentials, Cybersecurity and Computer Science Principles; he has been a four‑year varsity basketball starter and worked as a videography intern for Rutgers athletics. Ponteris thanked the foundation and said the scholarship would help him continue his education.

Superintendent Presuto of Somerset County Vocational Technical High School described VOTEC as a choice school that trains students in practical skills such as troubleshooting and design. "We are a choice school," Presuto said. "The need for young people with skills that they can create, they can build, they can fix, troubleshoot, and design is very much needed in our country." He noted new buildings and added classrooms that will open in September.

Scholarship checks and certificates were handed to the students at the meeting; county officials took photographs with recipients and their families. The foundation speaker said the awards honored vocational students who plan to continue higher education within New Jersey.