Veronica Vegara Awarded 2021 AOC Raytheon STEM Scholarship

Veronica Vegara was named the female recipient of the 2021 AOC Raytheon STEM Scholarship at the Fisher House Foundation Gingerbread Ball at Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, New Jersey on Dec. 4. AOC President Glenn “Powder” Carlson, AOC Northeast Regional Director and AOC Scholarship Chairman Myles Murphy and AOC Garden State President Nicole Zaretski presented the $12,500 scholarship to Vegara, who was selected from 10 female applicants.

Vegara is an electrical and computer engineering major at Rutgers, where she is part of the Honors College Program and carries a 3.8 GPA. She plans to serve as an officer in either the Air Force or Space force upon graduation. She has also been contracted as a developmental engineer after graduation.

Hoping to inspire the next generation, Vegara currently serves her community in the Civil Air Patrol, where she provides mentorship to 12- to 21-year-olds in the aerospace-STEM field. She also mentors high school students competing in the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition.

Each year, the AOC Education Foundation selects both a female and male student studying in the fields of engineering or engineering technology to receive a $12,500 scholarship, backed by a $25,000 donation from Raytheon Intelligence and Space.

The AOC Scholarship Committee would like to thank the judges selected from the Middle Georgia STEM Academy and National STEM Academy at the Warner Robins Museum of Aviation, Nicole Zaretski, the Association of the United States Army-Monmouth Chapter, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association-Monmouth Chapter, the Army Aviation Association of America-Jersey Chapter and the New Jersey Bakers Board of Trade.