Tag: Liberty High School

  • Bethlehem Teens Earn Full Scholarships to Moravian University

    Bethlehem Teens Earn Full Scholarships to Moravian University

    This year’s recipients of the Bethlehem Area Superintendent’s Scholarship at Moravian University are two diligent teenagers who wish to help others via social work and nursing.

    Natalie Cain, a Freedom High School student, and Milena Garay, a Liberty High School student, were awarded full-tuition, four-year scholarships to attend the private university, founded in 1742 and with roots in the Moravian Church.

    The Superintendent’s Scholarship is in its ninth year. Each spring, a graduating senior from each of Bethlehem Area’s two high schools is chosen after submitting an essay and being interviewed by the superintendent. Admission to Moravian is required for the 2024-25 school year, with an annual tuition of $51,569.

    “As much as it’s a celebration of the accomplishments and futures of two students, I like to think of it as a celebration of two good, neighborly friends,” Superintendent Jack Silva said, noting that BASD and Moravian University are part of the same community and increasingly educate the same students.

    Silva stated that this year’s awardees were picked based on their good academic achievements, commitment to public service, and persistence in the face of adversity.

    Natalie Cain, Freedom High School

    Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian University, presents Freedom High School Senior Natalie Cain a sweatshirt to celebrate her scholarship to the university Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

    Cain, 17, was raised in West Bethlehem and is looking forward to exploring the city’s downtown as a college student at Moravian next year.

    “I know where things are, so being able to experience them [being] older is just a whole different side, so I’m really excited,” she said following Thursday’s scholarship ceremony.

    Cain, a senior at Freedom, went to Calypso Elementary, Nitschmann Middle School, and Liberty before transferring to her future alma mater when her family relocated in recent years.

    She participated in chorus and theater at Freedom and stated that her greatest BASD experiences revolve around meeting friends.

    Outside of school, Cain works part-time and competes in modern contemporary dance at Bethlehem’s B.U Studios. She also volunteers at the studio, teaching dancing basics to children aged three to five.

    “They’re so sweet,” Cain commented. “I love all of them, and they’re my best friends.”

    Cain’s mother, Carley Ufer, stated that her daughter has always been nice with smaller children, including her siblings.

    “She’s very calm, patient with them, and understanding,” she explained, adding that Cain enjoys watching the young dancers she instructs progress.

    Cain stated that she wants to pursue social work in part because she has close friends who have had experiences with the foster system, which she hopes to focus on as a social worker.

    Cain stated that she wants to be the “go-to person for younger kids.”

    Cain’s father, Robert, stated that his daughter is aware of the often harsh reality of a career in social work based on his own public service experiences.

    “We see the rough side of humanity sometimes,” Robert Cain said about his 20-year tenure as a Bethlehem firefighter. “She knows you can’t always help everybody, and there’s government red tape you have to go through and things of that nature, and she still wants to help kids.”

    Robert Cain praised his daughter Natalie as a “old soul” and a “good person at heart” who will excel as a social worker due to her disposition and work ethic.

    “She’s always been a tough cookie,” he said. “She works hard for things she wants.”

    Milena Garay, Liberty High School

    Liberty High School senior Milena Garay is congratulated by Bethlehem Area School District Assistant Superintendent Maureen Leeson after being awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)

    Garay, 17, is also looking forward to starting nursing school at Moravian next year, a career she picked because she enjoys helping others.

    “I’m really fascinated with body systems and medications, but most importantly, it’s about helping people and communicating with them,” the Liberty senior said following the scholarship ceremony on Thursday.

    Garay also works part-time and has volunteered at Fountain Hill Elementary and Broughal Middle Schools during her high school tenure. She attended both BASD schools and returned to assist with yearbook production and a reading program.

    Garay has also participated in Liberty’s Angel 34 club, which raises funds for pediatric cancer patients, and St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Health Career Exploration Program.

    Garay shadowed nurses for the St. Luke’s program last school year, working on the hospital’s Fountain Hill site.

    “It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever been through because I learned so much,” she told me.

    “That’s where I gained my interest in nursing, as well,” she said. “It was really incredible to be able to talk to nurses, [patient care assistants], the unit clerks and to all these health care professionals and to be able to be by their side and work together with them.”

    Garay was impressed with the nurses’ expertise of their patients and numerous drugs.

    She is also passionate about leveraging her Spanish skills to better interact with patients. Garay goes to doctor visits with her father, who came to the United States from El Salvador, and translates for him.

    Vilma, Garay’s mother, also moved to the United States from El Salvador. She expressed her happiness that her daughter has chosen to pursue nursing and her excitement about the scholarship.

    “I cried, I can’t believe it,” she stated upon discovering Garay had received the award.

    Daiyana Rodriguez, a Spanish teacher at Liberty, said she wasn’t shocked Garay earned the scholarship after teaching her for four years.

    “She’s a very quiet student, but very insightful,” Rodriguez explained. “You can tell she’s always thinking about things, and through the years that she’s been here, she’s coming out of her shell a lot because she’s naturally very shy, but she’s always pushing herself.”

    Rodriguez further stated that Garay is proud of her Hispanic ethnicity and is passionate about giving back to Hispanic patients, particularly during difficult times.

    “Nobody goes to the hospital to have fun, and you do want to find the person who speaks your language,” Rodriguez went on to say.

    Rodriguez stated that she had personally benefited greatly from Garay’s empathy.

    “It’s kind of nice to be exposed to that characteristic in people because that’s not an everyday thing anymore,” she said. “I feel like empathy is getting lost, and that’s her whole dream, to help people, and that’s beautiful.”