East Islip High School senior Vincent Fantauzzi was recently awarded the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Marine Option Scholarship after a rigorous selection process. Only six students from Long Island and New York City were chosen for this NROTC scholarship. Fantauzzi was presented with a full-tuition scholarship check for $180,000 for the University of South Carolina, where he will study financial management this fall.

“Vincent’s passion to serve his country is quite admirable,” school counselor Chris Boehler, Fantauzzi’s adviser. “He is a true patriot who set the goal and achieved this great honor through hard work, discipline and impressive interviews throughout the application process.”

“I’m just honored to serve,” Fantauzzi said. “It’s been a dream for a long time.”