LCCC Receives Scholarship Grant to Support Allentown Students

High school students from Allentown will have the opportunity to explore career options and earn college credit at Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), supported by a $10,000 grant from the PPL Foundation.

The funds will pay for high school students from the Allentown School District to take dual enrollment courses, accumulating college credit and exploring a career pathway before they graduate from high school. Dual enrollment courses allow high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to take actual college classes and earn college credit, saving both time and money.

This year, more than 1,800 high school students from 30 different schools took classes at LCCC for dual credit.

“Studies have shown that dual enrollment courses have many benefits for students,” says Dr. Ann D. Bieber, LCCC president. “Lehigh Carbon Community College is committed to helping students succeed, and those who take dual enrollment courses have a head start on their college career – earning more credits with better grades and being better prepared for the rigors of college.”

The PPL Foundation grant was one of $100,000 in grants that the PPL Foundation awarded in the region to support organizations focusing on education, workforce development and community revitalization. The college received one of the largest grants.

“PPL understands that education is critical to success,” said Carol Obando-Derstine, regional affairs director for PPL in the Lehigh Valley. “We are committed to helping area students pursue their dreams of higher education while still in high school as a way to improve themselves, their families and neighborhoods.”

Photo caption: The PPL Foundation made a check presentation for the $10,000 grant at William Allen High School on Oct. 18, recognizing some of the students who take dual enrollment courses while accumulating college credit and who have benefited from these funds. Students in this class are taking the LCCC English 105 course from instructor Amanda Riggle, who teaches for both LCCC and Allen High School. Pictured: far left holding the check, Carol Obando-Derstine, regional affairs director for PPL in the Lehigh Valley; Mrs. Riggle (in white blouse); far right, Silvia Maldonado-Vargas, executive director of the LCCC Foundation; with students at Allen.

About Lehigh Carbon Community College

Founded in 1966, Lehigh Carbon Community College served 9,600 credit and 4,300 noncredit students in 2016-17 from Lehigh, Carbon, Schuylkill and surrounding counties and offered more than 90 programs of study in business, education, communication, computer science, technology, humanities, health care, science, engineering and math. From the main campus in Schnecksville and modern sites in Allentown, Tamaqua, Jim Thorpe and Lehigh Valley International Airport, Lehigh Carbon offers two-year associate degrees, certificate and specialized diploma programs, and workforce training for students studying either full-time, part-time or online.

About the PPL Foundation

Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation will support organizations that are doing innovative and groundbreaking work to create vital, sustainable communities and empowering each citizen to fulfill his or her potential. The PPL Foundation contributes more than $2 million annually to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit www.pplcares.com.