RHS seniors have chance at $40K Gardiner Foundation scholarship
Riverhead and North Fork high school seniors have a shot at a $40,000 scholarship to study American history, thanks to the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
Applications are due by Monday, March 31, for the Riverhead foundation’s 2026 Honorable Peter Fox Cohalan Scholarship in American History. The scholarship is open to graduating seniors in Nassau and Suffolk counties who plan to pursue a degree with concentrated study in history-related fields.
To apply, students must submit an academic writing sample of at least 10 pages on any aspect of Long Island history and how it relates to New York state and U.S. history. Applicants also must provide two letters of recommendation from an American history or American studies teacher, a 500-word written personal statement in the form of an academic autobiography focused on achievements in American history and public service, and an official transcript.
A maximum of three seniors per high school can apply.
“It’s not just to become a history teacher, so if someone wants to, [they can] study political science or American economics or sociology,” said executive director Kathryn Curran. “Our mission is to promote the advancement of Long Island’s role in American history.”
The scholarship is named after Peter Cohalan, who served as a justice on the Suffolk County Supreme Court for the 10th Judicial District from 2001 to 2013. He was also Suffolk County Executive from 1979 to 1986 and was named Suffolk County Historian in 2012.
The scholarship renews yearly based on the student maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.25, continuing to major in the accepted fields of study and completing volunteer work with a local historical society.
“That can be done from their dorm room, if they want to do some kind of web presence or social media,” said Ms. Curran. “They could do video, they could do any kind of public outreach … The historical society could want them to be there to train them to look through archives. The idea is getting the student, and getting young people in general, involved in the activities of their local historical society.”
Notifications regarding application status, and the winner, will be sent out in the first week of May. Applications can be mailed to the foundation at 30 W. Main St., Suite 309, in Riverhead.
For any questions, email Ms. Curran at [email protected] or call 631-594-3990.
“It’s a great opportunity for people who have an interest in history and want to know and expand their knowledge about their local history,” Mr. Cohalan said.
The foundation, which started in 1987, was inspired by Robert David Lion Gardiner’s passion for regional history. Mr. Gardiner, who died 2004, was the 16th lord of the manor of Gardiners Island. His family and their descendants have owned Gardiners Island since 1639, obtained as part of a royal grant from King Charles I of England.
