The 12th Annual DFI Educational Trust Gala Fundraising Dinner took place on November 9, 2017, at Terrace On The Park in Corona, N.Y. The gala was attended by 168 guests and raised over $51,000. Proceeds from the dinner benefit the George J. Tamaro Manhattan College Civil Engineering Scholarship Fund, established in 2016.
This year, four students received awards from the Tamaro Scholarship Fund, totaling $10,000. The scholarships were presented to four students at Manhattan College by Zac Curanovic, P.E., Underpinning & Foundation Skanska, DFI Educational Trust board member and chair of the scholarship drive.
Michaela Amicucci is a senior at Manhattan College pursuing a B.S. in civil engineering and a career in geotechnical engineering. She has been on the Dean’s List for six consecutive semesters, and has been inducted into the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society and the Epsilon Sigma Pi Honor Society, as well as Chi Epsilon, where she is the board treasurer. Last summer she was an intern at HVEA Engineers, and was able to apply her knowledge from soil mechanics class to analyze soil samples to determine their engineering properties.
James Curra is a civil engineering student at Manhattan College. He obtained his B.S. in May of 2017, and will obtain his M.S. in December of 2018. He is interested in several research topics, and has done research on remote sensing of water quality as well as remote sensing of bridge scour in order to determine risk. With only a year left before he finishes his academic career, James is eager to begin a career in the engineering profession and obtain his Professional Engineering license.
Valeska Flores is a senior civil engineering student at Manhattan College. Born in Peru, she came to the U.S. in 7th grade. She has always been interested in math, but chose geotechnical engineering after becoming curious about how Incan structures have been able to sustain the forces of earthquakes (which are very common in Peru). After graduation she plans on completing a Master’s program in geotechnical/structural engineering and to do research in earthquake engineering.
Anthony Ricciuti started college as a business student at Fordham University. After two years he transferred to Manhattan College in 2015 to pursue a degree in civil engineering. Since then, he has worked in the construction industry and interned with Lendlease for two consecutive summers. He has developed a strong interest in geotechnical engineering and hopes to gain some experience in the industry before graduating in December 2018.
Frank Lombardi, P.E., DIST. M.ASCE, F.SAME, former chief engineer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, delivered the keynote presentation at the Gala. His lecture, entitled, “The Dual Nature of Leadership,” covered the underlying principles of self-management, management and leadership. It focused on the philosophical concepts that give rise to the dual nature of leadership.
Contact: Emilio S. Fandino, Trust Administrator, 973-423-4030, efandino@dfi.org.
