LCCC Students Awarded Rotary Scholarships

Two Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) students were honored recently by the Allentown West Rotary Club at a scholarship breakfast held at LCCC’s main campus. Aldaine Alphonse of Whitehall and Alyssa Smith of Lehighton each received $1,000. The scholarship selection was based on the student’s record of service and leadership as well as academic performance. The scholarship breakfast, which was directed by Rotarian Dr. Barbara Kistler, professor emeritus at LCCC, was attended by LCCC’s Dr. Thomas Meyer, vice president for Academic Services and Student Development, who opened with the welcome, Virginia Mihalik, transfer counselor and Gene Eden, director of Student Affairs.

Aldaine Alphonse, who came to the U.S. in 2016 from Haiti, pursued an associate degree in business from LCCC with a 3.6 GPA and will be attending Bucknell University in the fall majoring in business. She found academic life very challenging at first, particularly overcoming language barriers, but overcame many challenges by using resources available to her, including the college’s tutoring center, and by developing a strict study schedule. In addition to memberships in LCCC’s Student Government Association, Business Club, Psychology Club and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, where Alphonse served as treasurer, she helped develop a payment plan for low-income students wanting to be part of PTK. Alphonse is a Home Fire Volunteer with the American Red Cross, where she not only installs fire alarms, but teaches fire safety procedures.

Alyssa Smith graduated with an associate degree in criminal justice and will continue her education at Cedar Crest College majoring in criminal justice. Smith, an officer of LCCC’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, organized a group to run in a 5K supporting the Truth for Women home for victims of sexual violence. She worked for the Assistant District Attorney’s office in Carbon County helping clients and navigating the legal system before trials and volunteered her time giving prospective student tours at LCCC.

Pictured from left to right: Dr. Thomas Meyer, Gene Eden, Alyssa Smith, Aldaine Alphonse, Virginia Mihalik, Jeff Wilner, general manager of Amazon.com, who presented Kindle Fires to the scholarship recipients, and Jeanne Shipe, president-elect of the Rotary Club.