Siele Captures E.C. McGaul Award for Business

Never sell Grant Siele short. He’s an enterprising young man who is willing to work hard to accomplish his goals. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 2013, the teenager recently captured the Huntington Fire Department’s E.C. McGaul Award for Business and the $500 stipend that accompanies it.

Mr. Siele is headed to Farmingdale State College in the fall. He intends to study business administration there. The new alum has been very involved in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps. He also works at the Whalers Cove Yacht Club and volunteers at the Community Thrift Shop in the village.

Neil D. Getter, an ex-chief and the current financial secretary of the Huntington Fire Department, presented the E.C. McGaul Award to Mr. Siele as the top business student in Huntington’s graduating class. The presentation was made during the high school academic awards night in June.

Mr. Siele points to “hard work, determination and staying focused” as the “essential ingredients” to his success. During his years at Huntington High School, the teenager has enjoyed meeting new people and interacting with diverse students.

The Naval Sea Cadet Corps is open to American youth ages 11-17. Locally, a unit drills at the VA Medical Center in Northport. “Since 1958 the Naval Sea Cadet Corps has been committed to providing American youth with a drug and alcohol free environment to foster their leadership abilities, broaden their horizons through hands-on training and guide them to becoming mature young adults,” according to the organization’s website. “Sea Cadet organizations exist in most of the maritime nations of the world. Recognizing the value of these organizations in educating youth in maritime matters, the Department of the Navy requested the Navy League of the United States to establish a similar program for American youth.”