Whitehall High School junior Milena Nino is Whitehall High School's fifth student to receive the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award.

Mike Tauber, West Point graduate and member of the West Point Society of the Lehigh Valley, presented the award April 16 at WHS in recognition for Nino's numerous academic achievements and involvement with school clubs and community organizations. Nino received a book entitled "Building Leaders The West Point Way: Ten Principles from the Nation's Most Powerful Learning Lab" and had her name affixed to a plaque.

"This leadership award recognizes exceptional high school juniors who have demonstrated outstanding performance in the areas of academics, athletics, community service, good citizenship and leadership," said WHS counselor Pat Lorenz. "Milena is very worthy of this distinction."

Nino's current GPA is 4.364 and she ranks seventh in her junior class of 334.

She has attained high honor roll and is a member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.

She was nominated to attend the 2011 National Student Leadership Convention and National Honor Roll Academy.

She was also a member of the WHS varsity soccer team and helped the team win the District XI AAA girls spring soccer championship game and go on to become PIAA girls spring soccer runner up 2012.

Her extracurricular activities include Science Olympiad, Leo Club, Girls Only Church Youth Group, Teen Advisory Board for the Whitehall Public Library and St. Thomas Moore Strikers Club Team member.

Nino's community service includes volunteering and assisting at Sacred Heart Hospital and Oakwood Medical Center and Lehigh Valley Health Network and job shadowing a pharmacist at St. Luke's Hospital, a dentist in the dental clinic at Lehigh Valley Hospital, a plastic surgeon in the operating room at Sacred Heart Hospital and an orthopedic physician assistant at Lehigh Valley Hospital.

Additionally, she served as a mentor for both fifth- and sixth-grade students for the LVA MYP Sixth Grade Camp and Fifth Grade Leadership Day, volunteered to clean cages at the Cat Shack and worked in the children's nursery at Emmanuel Assembly of God.

During the summer months she has worked at Western Lehigh's 4x4 Soccer Camp and Cans for Cats family business.

Nino plans to pursue a degree in college in biomedical engineering.

She has submitted applications for admission to several competitive summer programs and is awaiting responses.