Ryan Scharpf

I've grown up in eastern Long Island my entire life. I'm a frequented traveler, taking family trips around the east coast and spending some time on the water with our boat. Furthermore, we tend to take an occasional cruise abroad where we get to experience some new cultures and amazing vessels that make the world much more easily accessible for excited tourists, bringing me to the Maritime Industry. As a result of these cruises I've taken, they sparked a newfound interest in me from a young age. Including fascination I have in how such enormous and luxurious vessels could easily transport thousands of passengers to bucket-list destinations. So I began researching all the different cruise lines and ships the industry has to offer in the process of familiarizing myself with the industry. I established an understanding of how major ship operations are carried out and how the design of each ship affects the kinds of passengers that they attract, allowing me to conceptualize each guest's vacation above and beyond. I'm so excited for what new attractions and the revolutionary designs ships will be introduced with for the cruise industry in the near future. Excited to be studying Naval Architecture, I'm steering myself full ahead to become a part in these amazing developments. Part of the Regiment of Cadets at SUNY Maritime, although this program is very different from anything I've encountered in the past, it's a phenomenal way of setting me up to become a Naval Architect. Including seventy days at sea each summer on college's new 525ft training vessel, the Empire State VII, in the Atlantic Ocean. While I'm excited to start this new chapter of my life, I'm sure there'll shall be rough seas along the way.

• SUNY Maritime Cadet Appointment Program (CAP) Scholarship - New York State Senator Anthony H. Palumbo, 05/2023
• New York State Seal of Civil Readiness - New York State Education Department, 06/2023