Gemma Cartwright Claims $10,000 Island Federal Scholarship

Huntington senior Gemma Cartwright has won a $10,000 Island Federal Savings Bank scholarship. The teenager is headed to the University of Florida to study nursing.

Ms. Cartwright was speechless when the scholarship was announced by Island Federal officials during a recent awards night in the Huntington High School auditorium.

The senior was a key player on last fall’s Blue Devil varsity field hockey team that won a school record 14 games and advanced to the Suffolk Final Four playoff round. Ms. Cartwright was one of the team’s defensive stalwarts.

She said the key to her success has been the support she’s received on her journey through high school from family, friends, teachers and coaches. She loved playing on the field hockey squad and developing “solid relationships” with her teammates and coaches.

A member of Huntington’s National Honor Society chapter, Ms. Cartwright was named a Distinguished Senior after compiling an academic grade average of 90 or better during every semester of high school.

The $10,000 scholarship was presented by Larry Dunn, better known in the entertainment industry as DJ Larry the Duck, who was a staple on Long Island radio as the longtime music director of WLIR. Mr. Dunn now hosts a show on Sirius XM’s First Wave 33 channel on Monday and Friday from 5-9 a.m.

Mr. Dunn announced he would be giving a shout-out on his show to Huntington’s Class of 2023 two days later during the morning drive time period.

Island Federal Credit Union (known widely as simply Island Federal) is headquartered in Hauppauge. A not-for-profit, full-service financial institution, it has been providing affordable banking products and services to Long Islanders since 1955. Island Federal has grown to be among the top performing credit unions in New York State with $1.5 billion in assets, serving nearly 50,000 members.

In 2014, Island announced a 10-year, multi-faceted partnership with Stony Brook University that included naming rights of the Island Federal Credit Union Arena, sponsorship of the Stony Brook Film Festival and support of the Long Island State Veterans Home and Stony Brook Children’s Hospital. In 2018, Island Federal merged with Bay Ridge Federal Credit Union, adding a branch in Brooklyn.”

In addition to the locations at Stony Brook University and in Brooklyn, Island Federal operates eight full service branches in Bellmore, East Setauket, Hauppauge, Hicksville, Massapequa, Riverhead, Sayville and Selden. Account holders are also able to utilize more than 5,600 shared credit union branches across the country and over 110,000 surcharge free ATM networks worldwide.