Published April 06. 2021 12:25PM
East Stroudsburg University Vice President of Enrollment Management Karen Lucas and Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Roy surprised two high school seniors with full tuition scholarships to ESU.
Nathalia Mendoza Gutierrez, a student at Liberty HS, and Kayla Smith, a student at Freedom HS, each received The Superintendent Scholarship in a small ceremony March 26 at their respective high schools. Their parents were invited to attend.
Both Gutierrez and Smith plan to major in nursing at East Stroudsburg. The scholarship is valued at $34,000 over four years.
“It is a great honor for us to award this scholarship to two outstanding students,” Lucas said. “I have no doubt they will both excel at ESU. We are excited to welcome them to our Warriors family.”
To qualify for the Superintendent Scholarship, high school seniors in the Bethlehem School District must have a minimum GPA of 3.7, be a resident of Pennsylvania and a first generation college student, and have attended Freedom or Liberty high schools for at least two years.
Qualified students, who applied and were admitted to ESU submitted an essay about their experiences, challenges they’ve overcome, and their educational and professional goals. Finalists participated in an interview with Roy.
PRESS PHOTOS BY GEORGE WACKER Friends and family of Nathalia Mendoza Gutierrez gather in Liberty HS Art Gallery March 26 as the senior receives The Superintendent Scholarship to East Stroudsburg University, where she plans to major in nursing.
Sean Wright, assistant director of admissions at East Stroudsburg University, congratulates Liberty HS's Nathalia Mendoza Gutierrez as the school's first recipient of the 2021 BASD Superintendent's Scholarship Program with East Stroudsburg University.
Freedom's Kayla Smith is the school's first recipient of the 2021 BASD Superintendent's Scholarship Program with East Stroudsburg University. Her parents David and Susan Smith were thrilled with Kayla's achievement.
