Upper Darby student is National Merit Scholarship semifinalist
Upper Darby High School senior John Rybnik has been selected as a National Merit semifinalist for 201819. This prestigious honor was announced recently by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
According to the NMSC, approximately 16,000 talented high school students from across the country now have an opportunity to continue in competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered in early 2019.
The National Merit Scholarship is an academic competition established in 1955 to recognize outstanding high school students. Students enter the competition by participating in the PSAT, which is held at Upper Darby each year. In October 2017, approximately 1.6 million students across the nation took the PSAT. Of those students, approximately
50,000 students with the highest scores were selected for special recognition. Of those 50,000 students, only
16,000 students are selected as semifinalists. These students represent the top one percent of all the students who took the PSAT and are the highest-scoring group of students in the state. These students will continue on and apply for National Merit Scholar Finalist status, which will be announced in February 2019.
Media student earns $100G scholarship
WESTMINSTER, MD.— McDaniel College has awarded freshman Carly Perlman of Media a $100,000 Educator’s Legacy Scholarship.
Children with a parent or guardian who has at least four years of current and consecutive full-time employment at a K-12 school or community college can apply for this guaranteed scholarship to attend McDaniel College. Any service qualifies, such as teachers, administrators, counselors, nurses or support staff, etc.
There is no limit to the number of scholarships awarded by McDaniel. The $25,000 annual scholarship is renewable each year to students who maintain continuous enrollment and satisfactory academic progress.
Widener hospitality students earn scholarships
CHESTER — Widener University students in the Center for Hospitality Management received $27,500 in external industry scholarships. Delaware County students received $12,500 of the pot.
Allison Davis, of Media, Class of 2020, received a Club Manager’s Association scholarship worth $5,000.
Vanda Sok, of Brookhaven, Class of 2019, received the American Hotel and Lodging Association Hyatt Minority Scholarship for $3,000 and the American Hotel and Lodging Association Ecolab Scholarship for $2,000.
Julia Kline, of Media, Class of 2019, received the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) Annual Scholarship Grant Program for $2,500.
Penn State Brandywine names new director
MEDIA — Vippy Yee recently joined Penn State Brandywine as the Rosenberg Director of the campus’ Center for Ethics and Civic Engagement. She brings extensive experience in higher education and community involvement to the position.
Yee had served as the assistant director of volunteer programs in the civic engagement office at Bryn Mawr College since 2015. Previously she was a parttime instructor at Brandywine for nine years.
Yee brings a lifetime of volunteerism, travel experience and commitment to public service to the Brandywine campus. Born in Sydney, Australia, Yee lived abroad for much of her childhood and young adulthood.
“Civic engagement has always been an important personal value of mine,” said Yee, who is currently an elected council member in Rose Valley Borough. “It has found many natural outlets in my own community.”
Widener Charter school alum start at university
CHESTER — Widener University is pleased to welcome home 12 students who entered the university this fall as freshmen in the class of 2022 and whose primary education began at the Widener Partnership Charter School.
Widener launched the charter school with a kindergarten and first grade in 2006, in partnership with community leaders and residents of Chester. Five of the charter school students who are now Widener freshmen were in the inaugural first grade class and continued there as the school added grade levels through middle school. Others joined the school in grades two through four.
Together, they were among the 37 eighth grade students in the first class promoted to high schoo in 2014. They were also the first class to receive a promise from Widener University: those who excelled in high school and met Widener’s admissions requirements would be eligible for $100,000 scholarships over four years to pursue their undergraduate degrees full time.
The university is fulfilling that financial promise to the 12 charter school alumni who have entered as freshmen.