Twin brothers, Joseph Daleo and Dominic Daleo, members of the West Islip High School Class of 2017, were each recently awarded the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc.’s Annual Fred Breithut Scholarship. Presented in cooperation with Farmingdale State College, the award is presented to former FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition students entering the college to pursue a degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field. Joseph and Dominic plan to pursue degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Mechanical Engineering, respectively.

The brothers were each presented with a scholarship offering $1,000 per semester for up to four years. Each met the stringent requirements of this award which included their steadfast participation on West Islip High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition Team (#871) the “Robotechs.” Though twins, and despite their shared commitment to FIRST, the brothers took on very different roles on the team.

For Joseph, community service has continually been a driving force. During his time on the team, Joseph organized several important initiatives for the team. This was most obvious in the community cleanups he arranged for his teammates to lead – such as those for Adopt-A-Highway and the West Islip Country Fair. Joseph has been a pillar of the community outside of school as well, as he offers his free time to various other service projects, such as serving as a Junior Firefighter for the West Islip Fire Department, providing meals to those in need and performing in a band that plays at a local senior center.  

On the other hand, Dominic went the leadership route and his dedication earned him a spot as one of the team captains. In this role, Dominic flourished by teaching his teammates to use the machines, such as a lathe and a mill, to build the parts necessary for each season’s robot. In addition to being intensely involved with his robotics team, Dominic has been pursuing a black belt in Ninjitsu and works as a sailing instructor.

“I extend my heartfelt Congratulations to Joseph and Dominic Daleo, two young men who could not be more deserving of this award,” says Bertram Dittmar, Executive Director of SBPLI. “Both exemplify the values of FIRST Robotics, including Gracious Professionalism®, and have proven to be equally important to their team and their community. Speaking on behalf of everyone at SBPLI, we wish these men success in college and in their future careers.”

The Fred Breithut Scholarship was created in partnership with Farmingdale State College in 2009, an honor bestowed upon Mr. Breithut, a former history professor and school administrator, in recognition of the value he placed on education and the opportunities he provided to students across Long Island. Mr. Breithut was the Founder and President of SBPLI for 26 years until his passing in 2010. The $1,000 per semester scholarship is made available annually to a recent high school graduate or transfer student who plans to attend Farmingdale State College to pursue a STEM-related degree and meets the stringent scholarship requirements, including having been a member of a FIRST Robotics team for at least two years. The winner(s) must continue to be involved with FIRST Robotics in order to maintain the scholarship.