Two area high school seniors have been awarded college scholarships by the Lake Hopatcong Foundation.   

Nicholas Karpiak, of Hopatcong, and Liam Fitzgerald, of Lake Hopatcong, were each awarded $1,000.  Each year, the Foundation awards two $1,000 scholarships to local graduating seniors whose future studies have been shaped by their time on New Jersey’s largest lake.

A life-long lake resident and Eagle Scout, Karpiak has been accepted to the President’s Leadership Program at Christopher Newport University, where he will be studying business with a specialized leadership studies minor.  Karpiak’s childhood was filled lake sports, part-time work at a lakeside business as well as assisting with multiple community service projects.

“I have realized that working in my community gives me a sense of pride, and service will continue to be a life-long priority for me,” Karpiak said.

Fitzgerald will be studying accounting and finance at Susquehanna University this fall.  He spent summers working at local businesses, where he learned how a business can positively or negatively impact the environment.  He became acutely aware, over his years working lakeside, of the efforts some businesses undertook to improve the lake as well as the environment around the lake. 

“As a future business owner … I am hopeful to have a business that doesn’t just maintain the status quo but works to improve the environment in which it operates,’’ Fitzgerald said. 

“The Foundation is honored to be able to support Nicholas and Liam in their educational endeavors,’’ said Lake Hopatcong Foundation Managing Director Holly Odgers. “By investing in young people’s education, we feel we’re investing not only in our community, but also in the future of Lake Hopatcong.”