NEWS AND EVENTS

For our 2024 Scholarship Award, First10Forward awarded Sea Sisters Inc. with a $37,200 Grant.

First10Forward voted to award Sea Sisters Inc. this year’s grant totaling $37,200  | Oct 27, 2024

The non-profit Sea Sisters Inc. has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 First10Forward (F10F) grant.  The decision to award the organization $37,200 was made at the 2024 membership meeting that was held in New York on September 9^th. 

F10F is a New Jersey non-profit corporation, whose mission is to advance the professional goals of women and girls pursuing non-traditional careers. The organization is the brainchild of a group of women graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (“Kings Point”), who share a sense of gratitude for the life altering, professional and personal opportunities their Kings Point education bestowed upon them, at the same time an awareness of the challenges they had to overcome to succeed in a traditionally male dominated industry.  These women share a desire to pay forward their wisdom and financial backing to girls and women embarking on similar non-traditional journeys.

Since its inception in 2017, F10F has awarded over $160, 000 in grants to an array of qualified organizations. 

About Sea Sisters Inc.

It is the mission of Sea Sisters Inc. to promote the recruitment and retention of women in the maritime industry. This is accomplished by:

• Being a resource for information for those looking to pursue a career in maritime, as well as for those in the industry who are looking to advance their careers.

• Providing a support system for women currently working in the industry who need mentorship and guidance.

• Connecting women with each other to facilitate network growth, thus strengthening the foundations to support long and fulfilling careers in the maritime industry.

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For our 2023 Scholarship Award, First10Forward provided CMA Education Foundation with a $30,250 Grant.

First10Forward voted to award the CMA Education Foundation this year’s grant totaling $30,250 to be used to fund scholarships for women pursuing maritime education and maritime careers. CMA Education Foundation | Oct 26, 2023

President of First10Forward at the time of the award, Connie Dato English, commenting on the grant said “The CMA Education Foundation’s commitment to supporting future careers in marine transportation met with our commitment to support women and girls in the pursuit of careers where women are traditionally under-represented.  We hope this, our seventh and largest grant to date, will enable the recipients to thrive in an industry we care deeply about.”

Lois Zabrocky, CEO of International Seaways and a member of First10Forward and who served as the Connecticut Maritime Association 2021 Commodore, said of the grant: “The CMA community is comprised of individuals for whom the U.S. maritime academies and marine transportation industry has provided a dynamic pathway forward while they have contributed to global trade. Our grant and commitment will help ensure another generation of women and girls can share in that dynamic life.”

Beth Wilson Jordan, Executive Director of the CMA Education Foundation (CMA EF) said of the grant: “The CMA EF is honored to receive this generous First10Forward grant which aligns with the CMA EF’s mission to promote and support maritime education.  Since its inception in 2011, the CMA EF has supported both men and women students with scholarships, and this grant will allow us to increase the support this year with dedicated scholarships for female students. It is a generous grant from the 30 First10Foward members!

Beth Wilson-Jordan, herself an F10F member, added “I love the powerful message, this collaborative effort sends to female students, that thirty Kings Point women believe in you, believe women are needed in this industry and are willing to financially support your maritime education.  We’re all in this boat together!” Thank you to the 30 First10Forward women for living the KP motto, Acta Non Verba!”

High school students, college students, companies, teachers, and administrators in the Marine Transportation field or with a passion for the industry are encouraged to reach out to the CMA Education Foundation for further information on internships and scholarships or to donate to support the mission.

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First10Forward Presents 2022 Scholarship Award to 1 Year to Empowerment.

HAVE YOU HEARD THE GOOD NEWS?! We are SO EXCITED to OFFICIALLY announce that 1 Year to Empowerment was selected as the recipient of the 2022 First10Forward grant! At their annual Empoweree Transformation Banquet, First10Forward presented a $27,000 grant to 1 Year to Empowerment! The grant from First10Forward will provide funds to support 1 Year to Empowerment’s operational needs and it will help to ensure the ongoing success of their programs. Pictured below are Laura Giorgianni and Rachel Wright of First10Forward, with graduating 2021-2022 middle and high school Empowerees and incoming 2022-2023 Empowerees, along with 1 Year to Empowerment staff, board, and volunteers.

Dr. Samantha Scott shared the significance of First10Forward’s contribution, “We are so incredibly grateful for First10Forward’s selection of 1 Year to Empowerment as their 2022 grant recipient! To be supported by this organization and these incredible women from all over the country is an honor and truly embodies what can happen when women support women!”

As 1 Year to Empowerment stated in their press release, “First10Forward raises money to support charitable organizations whose activities advance First10Forward’s mission of assisting women and girls pursuing non-traditional careers. The organization is made up of women graduates of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (“Kings Point”), who share a sense of gratitude for the life altering, professional and personal opportunities their Kings Point education bestowed upon them, at the same time an awareness of the challenges they had to overcome to succeed in a traditionally male dominated industry. These women share a desire to pay forward their wisdom and financial backing to girls and women embarking on similar non-traditional journeys.” 

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First10Forward Presents 2020 Scholarship Award to Atlantic Women’s Charitable Organization.

2020 has been a year to be remembered! With the restrictions of Covid-19 we had to change the approach to presenting our third annual grant. The grant was awarded to the Atlantic Women’s Charitable Organization. This organization holds a camp each summer called Tech Trek at Stockton University in New Jersey. The camp is for rising eighth grade girls. It is designed for girls to stay on site all week and attend workshops and field experience in STEM related areas such as coding, robotics, physics and chemistry. These girls have to be nominated by teachers, apply and write an essay, and are interviewed by the organization’s administration and camp volunteers.

On October 4, 2020 Peg Martino was able to personally present the grant money to Claudine Keenan. We then followed up with a Zoom call on October 24, 2020. The call included many of the First10Forward women as well as many young women that had completed the program. It was great listening to how the Tech Trek camp has helped them gain confidence and continue friendships. Congratulations!

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First10Forward Presents 2019 Scholarship Awards to Bel Inizio and the Eureka Program of Girls Inc. of San Antonio

November 25th, 2019 was a special day indeed! Two of our members, Jean Morehouse and Peggy Wall had the privilege to present checks to the 2019 Grantees of First10Forward – Bel Inizio and the Eureka Program of Girls Inc. of San Antonio. The presentation took place at the headquarters of Girl’s Inc. of San Antonio. Jean and Peggy had the pleasure to meet many of the girls in the Eureka program during an informal Lunch and Learn prior to the presentation. They are truly strong, smart, and bold girls that have bright futures in pursuing STEM interests. Theresa Strong of Bel Inizio was so kind to drive from Houston and accept the grant and share her inspirational story about motivating women thru fitness and achieving goals.

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First10Forward Presents Inaugural (2018) Scholarship Awards to USMMA Midshipmen during Connie Awards Luncheon

On December 10, 2018, First10Forward (F10F) awarded its first Annual Grant to the Containerization and Intermodal Institute (CII) scholarship program.  The 2018 scholarships were awarded to three women attending the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA).  The scholarships were awarded to the midshipmen based on academic performance and financial need. Recipients M/N Shelby Bowman and M/N Alexa Lumpkin, from the Class of 2022, were honored at the CII Scholarship Ceremony and Connie Awards Luncheon.  A third scholarship will be awarded to an incoming 2019 female plebe midshipman (Class 2023).  

Susan Winfree, a F10F 2018 contributor and Vice President of the New York Shipping Association presented the scholarships.  Also, in attendance was Margaret Kaigh Doyle, F10F’s President. 

First10Forward was founded in 2017 by a group of women graduates from the USMMA. F10F’s mission is to support women and girls pursuing non-traditional careers.  This group came together over their shared sense of gratitude for the life altering, professional and personal opportunities their Kings Point education bestowed upon them, and an awareness of the challenges they had to overcome to succeed in a traditionally male dominated industry. Together, they decided to pay forward their wisdom and financial backing to girls and women embarking on similar non-traditional journeys.  The 2018 awards coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first women graduates from the Academy.  The USMMA was the first of the five federal academies to accept women.   

USMMA was dedicated in 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to train U.S. citizens for service as officers in the U.S. merchant fleet. Operated by the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the academy has produced more than 20,000 graduates who serve the nation in the maritime industry, both at sea and ashore, and in the armed forces.

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We had an Extremely Successful and Exciting Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty Of The Seas to Key West and The Bahamas for our 2019 Annual Meeting.