Supporting scholars
Annual scholarship aids Bethlehem teens in becoming first-gen students at Moravian University
Two Bethlehem Area high school seniors will continue their education close to home next year thanks to the Moravian University Superintendent’s Scholarship.
Melony Nonnemacher, a Freedom High School student, and Damian De Los Santos Suriel, a Liberty High School student, were chosen as the recipients of full-tuition, four-year scholarships to attend Moravian in Bethlehem. Both will be first-generation students, meaning their parents did not earn four-year degrees.
The superintendent’s scholarship is in its eighth year. A graduating senior from each of Bethlehem Area’s two high schools is selected as a winner each spring. Annual tuition at Moravian is $50,069 for the 2023-24 school year.
Melony Nonnemacher, Freedom High School
Nonnemacher, 18, said Moravian was one of her top picks, and she’s excited to stay close to her family with the help of this scholarship.
“Even when I was younger, I always thought Moravian was a really cool, prestigious school, so when I heard about the scholarship I just thought it was awesome,” she said.
Nonnemacher is undecided about what she will study, but is considering a major in communications, education or music.
While at Freedom, Nonnemacher has earned a 3.55 GPA and participated in music extracurricular activities.
She has played clarinet for Freedom’s marching band. This year she was a drum major. One of her favorite memories is the band playing at football games when Freedom faced off against Liberty. Nonnemacher is also section leader of the altos in the school choir and student director of the Les Chanteurs ensemble.
Damien De Los Santos Suriel, Liberty High School
De Los Santos Suriel, 19, also is excited to attend Moravian, so he can stay in the Lehigh Valley and regularly visit his little sisters, he said.
De Los Santos Suriel is also unsure of what he’ll study, but he’s leaning toward either education or social work. He credited his teachers at Liberty as part of the reason for winning the scholarship.
“I can’t be more thankful,” he said. “The people there have just been amazing to me.
They’re the reason why I made it this far.”
While at Liberty, De Los Santos Suriel earned a 3.34 GPA and participated in track and field, all while working a job to support himself.
De Los Santos Suriel first moved to the Lehigh Valley from Puerto Rico and only spoke Spanish. He also has hearing loss in both ears, which made learning English a challenge, he said.
“Being hard of hearing was the tough part because I felt like I was always outside of the bubble,” he said. “I was always treated differently coming up. Being hard of hearing has taught me a lot.
“You can always achieve something if you really work for it,” he added.