At a special lunch meeting May 20, the Allentown Rotary Club held its annual scholarship presentation luncheon at the Cedar Crest College student center, honoring students from Allen and Dieruff high schools.

The ARC Scholarship Committee selected Nephtalie Charles from William Allen High School, Kendaline Flores and Xiushan (SueSun) Li from Dieruff High School to receive the Roger and Louise Mullin Scholarships beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Each young woman will receive $3,000 per year for a maximum amount of $12,000 over four years.

These scholarships are awarded to outstanding students from Allentown high schools who will attend a four-year college or university.

Candidates were evaluated on their community service, leadership skills, academic achievement, financial need and interview skills.

Nephtalie Charles will graduate from William Allen and enter Cedar Crest College School of Nursing.

She has plans to become an EMT, a PICU nurse (after graduation) and then a nurse practitioner.

She has been a volunteer with DaVinci Science Center Summer Camps, reading to elementary kids both in person and through Zoom.

She is president of the Black Student Union, a National Honor Society member, Science NHS and a member of Allen’s Field Hockey and Track and Field teams.

She completed the Penn State Teen Entrepreneurial Challenge in the summer of 2021.

Kendalin Flores will graduate from Dieruff and enter Lehigh University with plans to study biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine.

She has been a member of National Honor Society, Spittin Truth spoken word poetry and debate clubs, as well as varsity softball, student council and varsity swimming.

She attended Lehigh’s Summer Engineering Institute.

Xiushan Li (pronounced SueSun) will graduate from Dieruff and enter Lehigh University planning a MBA.

She is a member of Dieruff’s marching band and is a flutist.

She is secretary of the Key Club and a member and service coordinator of National Honor Society.

She has taken psychology courses at Yale and sociology and principles of marketing classes at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

She was accepted into the Global Summer Learning Institute LEAD Program.

The late Rotarian Roger W. Mullin Jr., a former chairman of the board of Mack Trucks, presented a scholarship endowment gift to the Allentown Rotary Scholarship Foundation in 1993.

According to Mullin, he and his late wife could not have children, so the Rotary scholarship and their donations to educational institutions are helping “kids with talent get what they deserve.”

After retirement from Mack Trucks in the early 1980s, Mullin was appointed chairman of the board for Coplay Cement Company.

Known for his interest in and support of the arts, Mullin was president of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at Allentown College.

He also served as a board member of the Allentown Art Museum, Pennsylvania Stage Company, Allentown College, Cedar Crest College and Allentown Economic Development Corp.

The event was well attended, including regular ARC members, students, school officials, and guests of the scholarship recipients.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132nd, was also in attendance and gave a brief talk recognizing the achievements of the students.

Rotarians on the Scholarship Committee are: Rosaria Stoops, chair; Ibi Balog; Tom Brogan; Carmen Flosdorf; Grant Fox; Deb Fries-Jackson; George Naef; and Nan Yarrish.

More information about the scholarships is available on the AllentownRotary.org website.