NET Credit Union Awards Scholarships

NET Credit Union awarded $10,000 in scholarships to two local recipients at our Annual Meeting. Each recipient won a $5,000 scholarship. Each applicant must be a NET Credit Union member, have proof of a B average or better, proof of attendance, and must submit a 1,000 word essay with a cover page answering the scholarship question.

This year’s scholarship question included: What does “next generation banking” mean to you? How does NET Credit Union’s digital banking relate to it?

NEPA Health Care Foundation Nursing Scholarships

In response to the acute shortage of nurses across the region and its effect on the health and wellness of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation announces it has awarded $418,000 in its second year towards nursing scholarships for local students as part of its Careers in Care initiative.

The Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Program has awarded 49 scholarships to students in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties who plan to pursue or who are pursuing nursing and who will practice in Northeastern Pennsylvania. These scholarship opportunities come during a time when there have been great strains on the healthcare workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania. After significant interest in 2021, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation increased the total amount available for scholarships in 2022 from the previous year. In 2021, a total of $190,312 was awarded to 21 students.

The Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Program accepted applications earlier this year and, through a rigorous and competitive application process, identified a variety of qualified nursing students.

Recipients include Brooke Bird, Cleora Brown, Alexis Bruno, Sabrina Brynok, Maria Buchleitner, Amy Casagrande, Megan Chestnut, Michael Dargatis, Monica Darjee, Alyssa Dikeman Melisky, Jacqueline Earley, Thamar Etienne, Linda Gagner, Damian George, Chasity Girton, Alison Heck, Jennifer Jaffe, Amy Kwiatkowski, Ashley Lomascolo, Milagros Lopez, Nicole Lubash, Kristyn Lutecki, Leah Majdic, Brittany Marcinkevich, Danielle McCormick, Mary McFadden, Elizabeth McGuire, Tiffany Megotz, Karli Muto, Kathryn Nielsen, Nicole O’Boyle, Devon Ortolani, Gabriella Osegueda, Kimberly Owen, Kathleen Rafalko, Carissa Rand, Samantha Rosselli, Tami Rowlands, Anne Royce, Lorenzo Singotti, Kelly Smith, Kelsey Stanco, Charon Taylor, Celibeth Thomas, Celena Thomas, Tiffany Tomasello, and Ariana Velez.

Scholarship recipients are attending a variety of schools including Luzerne County Community College, Bloomsburg University, Lackawanna College, Penn State Scranton, Wilkes Barre Area Career & Technical Center, Marywood University, Clarion University, Misericordia University, Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County, Graceland University, and Wilkes University.

“Over the past two years, we have seen just how timely the Careers in Care initiative really is,” said James Clemente, NEPA Health Care Foundation Board Chair. “The Foundation’s Board understands the strains that the regional healthcare workforce is facing and strives to make an impact to address these critical issues through these important scholarships.”

“The Board of the Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation was very innovative in their planning of these scholarships which are made available to nursing students from CNAs through nurse educators at the graduate level,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “There continues to be a great need and interest in the Careers in Care program, demonstrated by the increased number of scholarships awarded in the program’s second year.” The Scranton Area Community Foundation administers the NEPA Health Care Foundation. There will be a third year of scholarships offered in February 2023 for the 2023/2024 school year.

To qualify for a Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship, individuals were required to show they have had a permanent address in Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wyoming County for the last three years. Scholarships were available to those interested in obtaining a CNA and entering the healthcare workforce. Scholarships are also for anyone employed in the healthcare field in either Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wyoming County and looking to advance as an LPN or RN/BSN. Additionally, students were invited to apply if they were in their third or fourth year of a four-year nursing degree and looking for financial assistance. Scholarship recipients were also asked to demonstrate a commitment to stay in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation also invited ‘nontraditional’ students or those looking to go back to school to obtain a nursing degree to apply for a Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship.

Additionally, through Careers in Care, the NEPA Health Care Foundation has provided grant support totaling $800,000 to a variety of organizations including Lackawanna College, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, Children’s Service Center, The Greater Hazleton Partners in Education, Northern Tier Industry and Education Consortium, and Saint Joseph’s Center. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s Careers in Care initiative is a $1.7 million commitment over a three-year period (2020-2023).

In addition to the Careers in Care initiative, the NEPA Health Care Foundation is also in the eighth year of a $3.2 million commitment to the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) for scholarship support for incoming first-year medical students from Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties.  The NEPA Health Care Foundation Scholars program covers full tuition for these scholars, who indicate a commitment to practice medicine in Northeastern PA.

FNCB Bank Announces Scholarship Winners

FNCB Bank, locally based since 1910, is pleased to announce the winners of the FNCB Bank Foundation merit scholarship awards for the 2022-2023 academic year. Overall, the foundation awarded $1,000 scholarships to three area high school seniors based on their academic excellence, community and school involvement, and citizenship.

This year’s winners are Tanisi Patel of Crestwood High School, Baylor Lounsbery of Abington Heights High School, and Samantha Quinn of Wyoming Seminary. Ms. Patel will be attending Villanova University, Ms. Lounsbery will be attending the University of California Santa Cruz and Ms. Quinn will be attending the University of Pittsburgh.

“We applaud these exemplary young adults on their achievements and want to congratulate them on being selected as winners of this year’s FNCB Bank Scholarship award,” said Michael Cummings, FNCB Bank Senior Vice President, Marketing Manager and Foundation Chairman. “We wish them success in their future academic and professional pursuits.”

For more information on the FNCB Bank Foundation Scholarship program, please visit www.fncb.com/scholarship.

Scranton Area Community Foundation Invites Area Students to Apply for Scholarships

The Scranton Area Community Foundation invites area students to apply online for eligible scholarship opportunities through their online scholarship portal. Over $800,000 in scholarship funding is available through the Scranton Area Community Foundation to eligible students seeking to continue their education. Over 60 scholarships are available to high school and college students for a variety of studies and interests. Scholarship applications will be accepted until Friday, April 1, 2022. Detailed information about all of our scholarship opportunities can be found at safdn.org/scholarship. Scholarship decisions are announced in June.

For more information about scholarship opportunities at the Scranton Area Community Foundation, please contact Cathy Fitzpatrick, Scranton Area Community Foundation Grants and Scholarship Manager, at 570-347-6203, extension 301, or grants@safdn.org.

NET Credit Union Awards $5,000 in Scholarships

High school scholarship winner Camilla Rinaldi. Camilla is a recent graduate of Scranton Prep. She will be studying nursing at Georgetown University in the fall.
College/trade school scholarship winner Ryan Ward. Ryan is a senior at Thomas Jefferson University, majoring in finance, in Philadelphia.

NET Credit Union awarded $5,000 in scholarships to two local recipients: a high school student and a college/trade school student. We believe in giving back to our community and in helping our members reach their goals. Each recipient receives a $2,500 scholarship. Scholarship application requirements include:

  • Must be a NET Credit Union member
  • Have proof of a B average or better
  • Proof of attendance
  • Submit a 1,000 word essay or 60 second creative video