BY SUSAN BRYANT

sbryant@tnonline.com

The Travelers Protective Association of America Post L presented awards to Parkland High School students recently at Superior Restaurant, Emmaus.

According to Maia Geiger, LSW., social worker for the Deaf HH programs through IU 21, the three students receiving the awards were Athen Orlang, Jacob Parry and Andrew Lopez.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Andrew since middle school and Athen and Jacob since kindergarten, so as you can imagine I could talk for a very long while! But I will spare you, and them all the stories,” she said in her speech from the presentation, she emailed to The Press. “When I think of these three young men, certain words come to mind: friendly, perseverance, positive attitude, hardworking, funny, charming, kind, caring, athletic and role models.”

Athen, a rising sophomore at the high school, attends LCTI in the Cabinetry Lab.

“It’s hard to believe he is only a freshman since he is a very mature and responsible young man,” Geiger stated. “Although Athen has faced some adversity in his life, he is making his own positive path.

“He has worked since he was 14 years old and is employed at Taco Bell but plans to return to Dorney Park for summer employment as a supervisor this season.”

Athen works hard in school and is focused on his future.

He has participated in wrestling and football, and has been the only student volunteer with the Deaf Hard of Hearing Task Force of the Lehigh Valley.

“Athen likes to help other people in all areas of his life,” Geiger said. “In the future he hopes to have his own business as a cabinet maker.

“He would love to travel to some islands like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and his ultimate goal is to work so hard he can retire early.”

Andrew, a 2021 graduate of Parkland High School, has a charisma that draws people to him.

“He is very big into fitness and spends his free time at the gym hitting the weights and taking walks in the park,” Geiger said. “At Parkland High School, he participated multiple years in cross-country and track and field, running both sprints and long distance.”

Andrew is a very hard worker.

“He works full time at Mesa Modern Mexican in Easton,” Geiger said. “At this point, Andrew plans to continue working there post-graduation, as well as obtain a second job.

“He eventually would like to attend community college, but is undecided on the major.

Andrew would love to buy his own new home.

“He also has a thirst for adventure, and hopes to travel the world and meet deaf people everywhere he goes,” Geiger said.

Jacob is a 2021 Parkland High School graduate.

“Jacob is a hardworking student who gets good grades and is well-liked,” Geiger said. “He has been on the PHS swim team since his freshman year enduring early morning 5 a.m. practices all four years.

He swims 500 freestyle and has a PR of 5:10. He has qualified for districts every year he has competed.

“This is amazing because for a couple of those years, Jacob had to persist through having a delayed start due to the lack of a reaction light system to let him know the race horn had sounded.

Jacob uses his swim skills to help others.

“In the past, he taught swim lessons at the Parkland Swim Club to deaf children where he was a role model to them and showed them how much they can accomplish,” Geiger said. “In the fall, he will attend RIT, majoring in robotics engineering.

Jacob has traveled to Japan and would like to return there.

“In the little bit of free time Jacob has, he likes to draw and play video games and has been known to take a dive into the snow during blizzards,” Geiger said.

The Travelers Protective Association of America established the Hearing Trust in 1975 to provide aid to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing with resources that will allow them to have a better quality of life.

To learn more about the TPA Hearing Trust, go to tpahq.org/tpa-hearing-trust.