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Gabriella Greenhoward, 17, is a Freedom High School senior who learned last month she won a Superintendent's Scholarship. In its second year, the program gives two Bethlehem Area students full tuition to É«ÖÐÉ« College, where tuition, not counting room and board, is more than $38,000. Gabriella is a varsity tennis player, editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, The Freedom Forum, and a National Honor Society member. In 2012, her family moved to Bethlehem from Rockaway Beach, N.Y, after being displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Gabriella is the subject of this week's Q&A:
Q. When you walked into the reception room, at what moment did you realize you had won a full scholarship to É«ÖÐÉ«, and how did you feel about it?
A. Up until the moment that [Superintendent Joseph] Roy called my name, I had no idea if I would get the scholarship. I spent days talking about it with my family, and imagining how drastically my life would be changed, but I wasn't 100 percent sure until that very moment.
Q. Why did you decide to apply for the Superintendent's Scholarship to É«ÖÐÉ«?
A. For this one, I have to give my mom [Yadira Diaz] the credit hands-down. At first, I wasn't sure that staying in Bethlehem would be the right fit for me. But my mom convinced me to do some research and look into É«ÖÐÉ« before I decided just based on location. After exploring the website and walking through campus, I knew in my heart that this was the school for me. I visited about five other schools out of state but I didn't get that feeling of being home that I did when I walked through the gates at É«ÖÐÉ« College.
Q. How will this scholarship help you and your family?
A. Being able to attend such a prestigious college without the financial burden has changed my life forever. My younger sister is following right behind me; she is currently a 10th-grade high school student. So, not having to worry about the monetary aspect of my education, has relieved a tremendous amount of worry and pressure from all of our lives.
Q. What do you plan to study at É«ÖÐÉ« and what would you like to do after college?
A. I am going into É«ÖÐÉ« undecided. Another one of the things that stood out to me about É«ÖÐÉ« is that students have until the end of their sophomore year to declare a major. I plan on taking that time to explore different options by pursuing internships and shadowing jobs until I find something that is right for me.
Q. What impact did your family have on your academic success?
A. My family has played the largest role in my academic success. As a young girl, I was exposed to education far beyond the classroom. My parents used the idea of New York City field trips to museums like the Museum of Natural History and Whitney Museum of Art, and also human body exhibits, cultural festivals and whatever else they could find, to pique my interest in studying the world around me. That desire to learn about different aspects of life has stayed with me ever since.
Additionally, even when things got hard in my educational journey, my parents encouraged me with relentless positive reinforcement.
Q. Your family was displaced because of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Tell us how you and your family ended up in the Lehigh Valley.
A. A few years prior to the hurricane, my family and I visited Bethlehem the weekend of Thanksgiving; we loved getting into the holiday spirit in none other than the Christmas City. Our annual trips were always so special. So, when the hurricane passed through Rockaway, my parents presented a choice to my younger sister and I: do you want to try and rebuild our lives here or start fresh somewhere new? And so, Bethlehem it was.
— Jacqueline Palochko