Aidan Carman wins prestigious Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty Scholarship.
Aidan Carman, a member of the class of 2026, was awarded the prestigious Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty Scholarship during at a surprise ceremony March 18, 2022. The Minuteman Scholarship is given by the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.
“When I look for the recipient of a Minuteman Scholarship, I don’t look for someone who is just a great human being or someone who can be just a great soldier,” said Steven A. Castleton, Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army, in explaining Carman’s selection. I, as the father of three soldiers, look for someone I can trust with being back-to-back in a firefight with one of my children and who will protect their 6.”
Jeanne Soto, Director of Admissions at FSC, called Carman an impressive young man. “He is very deserving of the prestigious Minuteman scholarship. Aidan has a very bright future ahead of him and it is an honor to have the opportunity to watch him grow personally, professionally, and academically. I look forward to having him on campus at Farmingdale State College.”
“While I would have been happy to serve without the scholarship, it is nice to have some sort of confirmation that I am doing the right thing. I am extremely excited about receiving the scholarship and can’t wait to truly earn it,” said Carman. “I am very lucky that Farmingdale has this program that allows me to attend the college of my choice while serving my country.”
A resident of Islip, Carman is a senior at St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip, NY.
The ROTC scholarship covers full tuition and fees or $10,000 per year toward room and board at any college or university served by an Army ROTC program. Scholarship recipients also receive a yearly book allowance of $1,200 and a monthly stipend of $420 while attending school enrolled in the ROTC program. Scholarship recipients must participate in an Army Reserve unit’s training during their time in school. He will then serve in the U.S. Army Reserve with an eight-year service obligation.
