Bill Moyer, President; James Bohri, MD, President of the Medical Staff and Chairman of the Board of Trustees; and Maureen Donovan, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, St. Luke's Miners Hospital, presented academic scholarships to students from seven area high schools Tuesday evening at the Scheller Student Center, LCCC - Tamaqua Campus.

The two-year $1,000 scholarships are offered by both the St. Luke's Miners Hospital Board of Trustees and the St. Luke's Miners Hospital Medical Staff to graduating students of Tamaqua, Panther Valley, Marian Catholic, Mahanoy City Area, Jim Thorpe, Weatherly and Lehighton area high schools who have met the criteria of the award. The criteria required each recipient to be in the top 25 percent of his/her class and be enrolled as a full time student in an accredited four year college or university in the health care or science field.Moyer also talked about St. Luke's University Health Network and its new connection with Temple University in Bethlehem."The Temple Unversity School of Medicine/St. Luke's University Health Network (Temple/St. Luke's) is a regional campus of the Temple University School of Medicine," said Moyer. "Temple/St. Luke's is an exciting collaboration between two leaders in health care education and patient care."Receiving the Board of Trustee scholarship awards were Kimberly Ferko, Jim Thorpe High School, who plans to major in nutrition and dietetics at West Chester University; Paige Freeman, Lehighton High School, who plans to major in biology at the University of Scranton; Natalie Snyder, Tamaqua High School, who plans to major in nursing at Cedarville University; Molly Balliet, Marian Catholic High School, who plans to major in chemistry at Mansfield University; Melody Dilliee, Panther Valley High School, who plans to major in biology/physician assistant at DeSales University; Ann Swokel, Mahanoy Area High School, who plans to major in physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College; and Devon Bizarre, Weatherly High School, who plans to major in physician assistant at King's College.Receiving the Medical Staff scholarship awards were Lauren Zurn, Jim Thorpe High School, who plans to major in health and science at Pennsylvania State University; Holly Niehoff, Lehighton High School, who plans to major in optometry at Cedar Crest College; Derrian Gulden, Tamaqua High School, who plans to major in physical therapy at Slipper Rock University; Mia Casale, Marian Catholic High School, who plans to major in sciences at Pennsylvania State University; Kristyn Gates, Panther Valley High School, who plans to major in psychology/bio-research at Millersville University; Holly A. Sofka, Mahanoy City High School, who plans to major in biochemistry at Elizabethtown College and Heather Cichowic, Weatherly High School, who plans to major in neuroscience at Temple University."To be able to provide these scholarships to these students is an honor for us at St. Luke's," said Moyer, "We hope that the young men and women receiving the awards will return to our area after completing their training to provide health care services to the community in which they were raised."