Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the six winners of four-year full-tuition scholarships to Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in a ceremony held to coincide with the opening of the new Council for Airport Opportunity LaGuardia Career Center in Corona, Queens. The CAO’s LGA Career Center is located in a building operated by Elmcor, a social service agency based in Corona. The new office was made possible by $1.3 million in funding from the Port Authority and an additional $200,000 contribution from CAO. Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens is also a partner in the office.

“A critical part of delivering a new world class LaGuardia Airport is ensuring the local community is included every step of the way,” Governor Cuomo said. “I want to congratulate the winners of the LaGuardia opportunity scholarships and look forward to these future leaders helping build a modern, state-of-the-art LaGuardia that will fundamentally transform New York for generations to come.”

“We want to make sure that all New Yorkers have the resources they need to get an affordable, quality education,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “These scholarships are providing freshman students with the opportunity to go to school tuition-free in partnership with Vaughn College. The scholarship program and the new Council for Airport Opportunity Office are part of our ongoing efforts to ensure local businesses and residents take advantage of new opportunities as part of LaGuardia Airport’s redevelopment and economic growth.”

CAO is a nonprofit organization that provides airport-related recruitment and job placement services to minority and disadvantaged residents in Queens and Newark, New Jersey. The CAO’s LGA Career Center is located at 107-20 Northern Boulevard in Corona.

The partnership with Vaughn College, located just a stone’s throw from LaGuardia Airport, provides six incoming freshmen full four-year scholarships starting with the 2019-2020 academic year. The scholarship program is part of the Governor’s continuing effort to provide opportunities for local communities to share in the economic benefits of LaGuardia Airport’s ongoing redevelopment program.

This unique initiative provides local students an education in the aviation field, with the promise of a full-time position in Aviation at the Port Authority airports upon graduation. Recipients will also be offered paid internships at the Port Authority airports during the summers of their enrollment at Vaughn.