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Moravian University is set to gain a future doctor and a research scientist, while Cedar Crest College is welcoming an aspiring psychologist to campus after three Bethlehem students earned full-ride scholarships.
Dunya Atra, 17, is a Freedom High School senior with a 4.1 GPA who’s been preparing for a future career in pediatrics by studying at the Bethlehem Area Vocational School and working in St. Luke’s University Health Network’s radiology department. She’s headed to Moravian.
Joining Dunya at Moravian will be Shanice Painton, an 18-year-old Liberty High School senior with a 4.6 GPA who wants to pursue a career as a biological researcher and has dedicated herself to the school’s Environmental Sustainability Club.
Senior Valeska Barsallo, 17, earned a 3.7 GPA at Bethlehem Catholic High School after coming to the United States from Ecuador two years ago and is now set to pursue clinical psychology studies at Cedar Crest College.
Dunya and Shanice were named winners Thursday of the annual Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent’s Scholarship to Moravian, while Valeska was named the recipient of Cedar Crest College’s Trailblazer Award on Friday.
As these scholarship winners prepare for their post-secondary career, here’s a look at all they’ve already accomplished:
Dunya’s scholarship announcement was truly a family affair. Her mother, Raida Atallah, was surrounded by extended family as she spoke about what the Moravian scholarship means for Dunya, who is about to become a first-generation college student.
“I’m so happy to see my daughter like that,” Atallah said, thanking the crowd for their support.
Dunya means “the world” in Arabic, and her 14-year-old brother’s name, Helmy, means “dream.” Both are fitting titles for children born after Atallah and her husband, Ahmad Atra, struggled with infertility for 17 years.
The six miscarriages Atallah weathered were not the end of the couple’s health struggles. Atra suffered a stroke, heart issues and diabetes complications, including the loss of a leg. To help her parents, Dunya looked after her younger brother.
Sabreen Khalil said her younger cousin Dunya has been a light to her parents and blossomed into a woman who knows how to persevere.
“She’s tougher than me now,” Khalil said, “and you know, she’s set on this path for success, and she’s definitely somebody to look up to.”
Dunya’s maturity and academic excellence impressed the Bethlehem Area Vocational School enough to give her the rare honor of joining the program as a freshman.
Health careers instructor Jenifer Stilgenbauer said the quiet, shy student she met has been transformed into a confident member of the St. Luke’s staff, working at the hospital four days a week.
“I can’t tell you how many lives she is going to impact in the future — not just her peers, but patients’ lives, because she has the empathy that I can’t teach,” Stilgenbauer said, “and that is something that we strive for at our school.”
Dunya said the vocational school got her out of her shell. Now she’s ready to turn her love of being around kids into a career as a pediatrician.
“Everyone says it’s gonna be hard, and nothing is easy, but I’m willing to take that risk because they have such a dear place in my heart and in my soul,” Dunya said. “Like, kids are my everything.”
Shanice’s mother, Celeste Pryor, said her daughter’s interest in science started young.
“Outdoors — animals she saw outside. It could be bugs, slugs, frogs — it was just always her thing,” Pryor said.
Shanice said her ninth-grade science course was the moment she realized the full power of the scientific process and began to imagine the potential of research.
“She was a freshman honors biology student and always had questions beyond the scope of the classroom — always looked at things from different angles,” science teacher Melissa Waldron said.
Shanice plans to major in biology and is interested in medical and environmental research. She said she’s excited to fully dive into research at Moravian and she appreciates that the school offers small classes in which teachers interact closely with students.
Pryor said Shanice’s path to Moravian already has her 13-year-old sister, Sierra, thinking about following in her footsteps.
As a dedicated member of Liberty High School’s Environmental Sustainability Club, Shanice has helped push out a petition to parents and students across the district, advocating for the Bethlehem Area School District to expand its commitment to teaching about climate change.
The petition — which can be viewed at bcjep.org — calls for the district to embed lessons about climate change across grade levels and disciplines.
Currently, content dedicated to understanding climate change is only explicitly included in an elective environmental science course for high school students, said Environmental Sustainability Club adviser and science teacher Greg Zahm.
Zahm said Shanice has been a great contributor and club leader.
“We would not have accomplished what we have without her,” Zahm said.
Political pushback against climate change action hasn’t deterred Shanice from her desire to pursue a career in science or her urgency to confront how climate change has already impacted the world.
“It’s really important,” Shanice said, “because this will happen regardless of if we turn our back on it.”
Data isn’t political, Shanice said, adding that she appreciates that science can solve problems without being biased.
“Science won’t tell you what you want to hear,” Shanice said. “It’ll tell you what it is, and that’s what I really like about science.”
Franki the Cedar Crest falcon wasn’t the only surprise waiting for Valeska Friday afternoon — she walked into the arms of her parents and younger sister after they all learned that Valeska had earned a full ride to Cedar Crest.
Dabbing away tears, Valeska summed up her reaction with, “Wow.”
She then immediately began thanking her family and her support system at Bethlehem Catholic. Valeska arrived from Ecuador two years ago and enrolled as a junior, giving her a short runway to learn English as she tackled the rigors of college prep.
Spanish teacher Yara Fernandez said Valeska didn’t let the language barrier dampen her ambitions, enrolling in advanced courses and taking a “I will handle it” attitude.
Valeska is a National Honor Society member who uses her translation skills to help out at Homework Club. She said learning English hasn’t left much time for extracurriculars, but then added that she participates in multiple sports: swim, gymnastics, dance and volleyball.
She also volunteers at church, a continuation of the service she performed in Ecuador, where she taught First Communion classes.
Valeska said she’d like to continue working with children as a clinical psychologist. Watching a family member who is on the autism spectrum struggle to feel accepted has motivated her to take on a profession where she can work to make children feel comfortable with themselves.
“I want kids to have a normal life,” Valeska said.
She’s close to her siblings — Sergio Barsallo, 11, and Mariana Barsallo, 8 — and says she wants to be a good example.
Valeska’s mother, Graciela Llamuca, and father, Sergio Barsallo, beamed with pride as they watched her celebrate her scholarship.
“Her happiness is our happiness,” her father said in Spanish, emphasizing that her family will always be there to support Valeska and that he is certain she will make the best of the opportunities in front of her.
Henry said Valeska’s compassion stands out just as much as her determination.
“She lives with gratitude,” guidance counselor Kathy Henry said, “and her family means so much to her.”
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