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This year’s winners of the Bethlehem Area Superintendent’s Scholarship to Moravian University are two hardworking teens who want to help others through social work and nursing.
Natalie Cain, a Freedom High School student, and Milena Garay, a Liberty High School student, were chosen as the recipients of full-tuition, four-year scholarships to attend the private university, which was founded in 1742 and has roots in the Moravian Church.
The Superintendent’s Scholarship award is in its ninth year. A graduating senior from each of Bethlehem Area’s two high schools is selected each spring after submitting an essay and interviewing with the superintendent. They must also apply and gain admission to Moravian, where the annual tuition is $51,569 for the 2024-25 school year.
“As much as it’s a celebration of the accomplishments and futures of two students, I like to think of it as a celebration of two good, neighborly friends,” Superintendent Jack Silva said, noting BASD and Moravian University are part of the same community and are increasingly educating the same students.
Silva said this year’s winners were chosen for their strong academic records, dedication to public service and perseverance through adversity.
Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian University, presents Freedom High School Senior Natalie Cain a sweatshirt to celebrate her scholarship to the university Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Freedom High School senior Natalie Cain speaks after being awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Freedom High School Senior Natalie Cain is awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Freedom High School Senior Natalie Cain is awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Freedom High School Senior Natalie Cain is seen with her stepbrother Max Keeler, stepmother Stephanie Cain, father Robert Cain, sister Maggie Cain, and mother Carley Ufer, as she is awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem. (Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Cain, 17, grew up in west Bethlehem, and said she’s excited to explore the city’s downtown as a college student, studying social work at Moravian next year.
“I know where things are so being able to experience them [being] older is just a whole different side, so I’m really excited,” she said after Thursday’s scholarship ceremony.
Cain, a senior at Freedom, attended Calypso Elementary School, Nitschmann Middle School and Liberty before transferring to her soon-to-be alma mater, Freedom, when her family moved in recent years.
She participated in choir and theater at Freedom and said her favorite BASD memories are centered around making friends.
Outside school, Cain works a part-time job and dances competitively at B.U Studios in Bethlehem, focusing on modern contemporary dance. She also volunteers at the studio, teaching students ages 3 to 5 the basics of dance.
“They’re so sweet,” Cain said. “I love all of them, and they’re my best friends.”
Cain’s mother, Carley Ufer, said her daughter has always been good with younger children, including her siblings.
“She’s very calm, patient with them, very understanding,” she said, adding Cain likes to watch the growth of the young dancers she teaches.
Cain said she wants to study social work in part because she has close friends who have experiences with the foster system, which she would like to focus on as a social worker.
Cain said she wants to be a “go-to person for younger kids.”
Cain’s father, Robert, said his daughter is aware of the sometimes harsh realities a career in social work may present because of his own experiences in public service.
“We see the rough side of humanity sometimes,” Robert Cain said of his career as a Bethlehem firefighter for 20 years. “She knows you can’t always help everybody, and there’s government red tape you have to go through and things of that nature, and she still wants to help kids.”
Robert Cain described his daughter Natalie as an “old soul” and a “good person at heart” who will succeed as a social worker because of her disposition and work ethic.
“She’s always been a tough cookie,” he said. “She works hard for things she wants.”
Liberty High School senior Milena Garay is congratulated by Bethlehem Area School District Assistant Superintendent Maureen Leeson after being awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Liberty High School senior Milena Garay is congratulated by Bethlehem Area School District Assistant Superintendent Maureen Leeson after being awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Liberty High School senior Milena Garay is seen with her mother Vilma, father Arcides, and brother Estever, after being awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Liberty High School senior Milena Garay is congratulated by Bethlehem Area School District Assistant Superintendent Maureen Leeson after being awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Liberty High School senior Milena Garay is awarded a scholarship to Moravian University Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the high school in Bethlehem.(Amy Shortell / The Morning Call)
Garay, 17, is also excited to attend Moravian next year to begin her studies in nursing, a career she chose because of her love of caring for others.
“I’m really fascinated with body systems and medications, but most importantly it’s about helping people and communicating with them,” the senior at Liberty said after the scholarship ceremony Thursday.
Garay also works a part-time job and has spent time during her high school career volunteering at Fountain Hill Elementary and Broughal Middle School. She attended both BASD schools and returned to help with creating yearbooks and organizing a reading program.
Garay also has participated in Liberty’s Angel 34 club to raise money for pediatric cancer patients and St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Health Career Exploration Program.
Last school year, Garay shadowed nurses through the St. Luke’s program, working at the hospital’s Fountain Hill campus.
“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever been through because I learned so much,” she said.
“That’s where I gained my interest in nursing, as well,” Garay added. “It was really incredible to be able to talk to nurses, [patient care assistants], the unit clerks and to all these health care professionals and to be able to be by their side and work together with them.”
Garay was impressed by the knowledge the nurses had about their patients and various medications.
She also feels strongly about using her Spanish fluency to help communicate with patients. Garay goes to doctor appointments with her father, who immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador, to translate for him.
Garay’s mother, Vilma, also immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador. She said she’s happy her daughter chose to study nursing and excited about the scholarship.
“I cried, I can’t believe it,” she said of learning Garay won the award.
Daiyana Rodriguez, a Spanish teacher at Liberty, said she was not surprised Garay received the scholarship after having taught her for four years.
“She’s a very quiet student but very insightful,” Rodriguez said. “You can tell she’s always thinking about things, and through the years that she’s been here, she’s coming out of her shell a lot because she’s naturally very shy, but she’s always pushing herself.”
Rodriguez also said Garay is proud of her Hispanic identity and passionate to give back to Hispanic patients, especially in difficult times.
“Nobody goes to the hospital to have fun, and you do want to find the person who speaks your language,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said she’s learned a lot personally from Garay’s empathy.
“It’s kind of nice to be exposed to that characteristic in people because that’s not an everyday thing anymore,” she said. “I feel like empathy is getting lost, and that’s her whole dream, to help people, and that’s beautiful.”
Morning Call reporter Jenny Roberts can be reached at jroberts@mcall.com.
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