Albany, NY - October 1, 2015 - Governor Cuomo announced the creation of the “Carey Gabay Fellowship” and the “Carey Gabay Scholarship” to honor his life and work. Gabay, a former assistant counsel in the Governor's Office and First Deputy Counsel to Empire State Development, passed on September 15, 2015, nine days after he was struck by a stray bullet.
“Carey Gabay was an exceptional individual who could have done anything, but chose to enter into public service and give back,” Governor Cuomo said. “His kindness, loyalty and grit made him beloved by family, friends and co-workers and his dedication to making New York a better, fairer and safer place made him an inspiration to all. The Fellowship and Scholarship programs bearing his name will serve as a constant reminder of Carey’s professional accomplishments and exceptional character, and will ensure his legacy is honored for years to come.”
The Carey Gabay Fellowship will be awarded every two years to a mid-career attorney who, like Gabay, is committed to public service, hails from an economically disadvantaged background, and most importantly, embodies the integrity and kind-heartedness that distinguished Gabay personally. The Fellow will serve for two years in the Governor’s Counsel’s office, where Gabay began his career in this administration, and will work on furthering the Governor’s violence prevention initiatives as well as issues of economic equality and development that Gabay championed throughout his career. The fellow will be assigned a mentor in Counsel’s office and the first fellow will lead a major research project on violence prevention in memory of Gabay. Opportunities for the fellow to earn an MPA concurrently with state service will be explored.
Fellowship attorney applications to be accepted starting January 4, 2016 and will require a personal statement, three references, a writing sample and impressive academic and professional credentials. The Gabay Fellow will update the Gabay family periodically as to his or her work and experience.
The Carey Gabay Scholarship Program will award, annually, full-ride scholarships to five deserving students to attend the State University of New York. These scholarships will cover all costs of attendance, including tuition, room and board, college fees, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses. Many grants and scholarships only cover the cost of tuition, requiring students and families to dip into savings or take out student loans to cover these other necessary college expenses. The Carey Gabay full-ride scholarships will truly cover all college costs, allowing the recipients to focus fully on their coursework, and – like Gabay – to go on to make a difference in their chosen field.
The Carey Gabay Scholarship will be available to students at all four-year SUNY colleges, and will be awarded annually beginning in the 2016-17 academic year. These scholarships will be targeted at students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and mentoring skills, and a commitment to social justice, along with other application criteria to be developed in coordination with Carey’s family. Applications will be accepted beginning January 11, 2016, and awards will be selected based on an application package including an essay and letters of recommendation from teachers and community members.
