Connor Meltzer will be one of 19 Hudson Valley students receiving a college scholarship from the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. The Rhinebeck High School senior is planning to study engineering at Virginia Tech.
Meltzer said he was a sophomore in engineering class when he realized he wanted to pursue this as a career.
“It’s always been really satisfying to me to put things together and see them work out,” said Meltzer. “That’s the main reason I did robotics. I get to build all these things, code them and see them work in a project.”
The Miles of Hope Foundation received 63 applications from students in nine counties. Each scholarship recipient is receiving between $1,500 and $5,000. The foundation is giving away $45,000 in scholarship money.
“This is one of the most rewarding things we do,” Miles of Hope Executive Director Pari Forood said in a press release.
“Each year, a committee made up of members of our Board, former and current teachers, and the two co-founders of the foundation get together to review applications and read heartwarming essays from students whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer.”
Meltzer’s mom, who was diagnosed with breast cancer before COVID, is now cancer free.
Meltzer is a member of the robotics club, and has competed as a member of the soccer, basketball and unified basketball teams.
“The thing I learned with Connor over the years is his ability to relate to anyone and everyone, and really keeping everything in perspective,” said Marc Burg, high school assistant principal and unified basketball coach.
“I think the future for him is unlimited.”
Meltzer will be graduating in June and hopes to be a mechanical engineer, possibly working in the automotive industry.
“This school is pretty small. When you’ve been here for four years, so you know a lot of people and I think I’m going to miss going through the hallway and recognizing a lot of faces,” he said.