MIA Honors Moorestown High School Students With $1K Scholarships

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown High School students Aidan Pascual and Jane Cohen are the recipients of the Moorestown Improvement Association’s (MIA) annual scholarship awards, MIA announced on Thursday.

Pascual will receive the MIA Scholarship, and Cohen will receive the Ellen Shiplee Scholarship. Both scholarships are worth $1,000.

Both winners are members of the 2021 graduating class of Moorestown High School and were selected because of their contributions and commitment to improving the greater Moorestown community.

While students at Moorestown High School, they were both involved in a variety of school and community activities.

Pascual will study biological sciences at Rowan College of Burlington County beginning this fall. In high school, Pascual was a member of both the Environment and Interact Service clubs, and he also volunteered as a counselor-in-training with summer programs offered by Moorestown’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“The thought of high school coming to an end is bittersweet and the idea of starting college seems a little bit daunting at times,” Pascual said in applying for the scholarship.

He also said he appreciates all the helpful teachers he had and skills he gained while at Moorestown High School, and he’s confident they have set him on a successful career path.

Cohen will attend the College of William & Mary, and she hopes to eventually pursue a career as a civil lawyer for women and minorities. In high school, Cohen was active in science fairs and mock trial competitions, volunteered as a peer tutor, and received a special award in environmental science from Drexel University.

Her commitment to community service was shaped by her volunteering every week at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, she said.

“I had the opportunity to work at the ‘Outside In’ exhibit, where I could educate the public about various animals and local ecosystems, and help in caring for the creatures that filled the exhibit,” Cohen said in her application. “Volunteerism always provides an opportunity to learn more about one’s self, connect with others, and do something that betters the communities around us.”

Her volunteer work gave Cohen the chance to give back to the next generation the museum experience she enjoyed there herself as a preschooler.

Since its founding in 1904, the Moorestown Improvement Association has been dedicated to preserving and enhancing the quality of life in the community. Over the years, MIA members have actively engaged in and financially supported initiatives focused on historic preservation, heritage appreciation, environmental concerns, and perpetuating the township’s tree-planting tradition.