Neisa Carsele and Zoe Kalantzis Awarded with LHS 1957 Class Scholarship

Neisa M. Carsele and Zoe Maria Kalantzis, high honor graduates in Lincoln High School’s 2018 class, have added their names to the list of winners of the LHS 1957 class scholarship.

Carsele received the annual $5,000.00 scholarship along with a special award of $500.00 For the best essay. She will enroll in the division of undergraduate studies for biology at Penn State University.

Kalantzis was given a $2000.00 scholarship. She will study biomedical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Their names were revealed by James Meehan, 1957 class president, during LHS annual senior class recognition assembly.

Carsele, daughter of Rocky and Kristen Carsele, was in the gifted program, was a three-year participant on KDKA’s Hometown High Q, a member and former president of both Peer leadership and Caring Tea, and a member and former secretary of National Honor Society. She was a high honor student for four years when she also received academic achievement awards and was named a student of the month.

She was class president all four years, captain of the varsity cheerleading squad, a member of the student council, a seventh-grade mentor and tutor, volunteered annually at Ellwood City’s fall festival, Easter egg hunt, Relay for Life and the Arts Crafts and Foods Festival. She also was master of ceremonies for the meet the candidate night two years, worked at the school blood drives and participated in local food drives. She has been a server-waitress at Nico Luciano’s Restaurant since October 2014.

In the essay which won her $500.00 award she said, “past experiences and setbacks have shaped my character, altered my outlook on life and taught me to appreciate what life has to offer.” She said her life changed abruptly in 2010 when her father developed serious health problems. She discovered a passion for medicine and knew she wanted to pursue a career in health care. She ultimately plans to go on medical mission trips, traveling to Third World countries to help those needing medical assistance.

Kalantzis, daughter of George and JoAnn Kalantzis, is among 6,200 chosen from 32,000 applicants for the freshman class at Virginia Tech. She was a two-year member of National Honor Society, was in Peer Leadership since grade 10 and was chosen class representative for extreme leadership.

She belonged to Envirothon Club for four years, serving as secretary in her junior year and president in her senior year. She was in French club and band freshman and sophomore year; and participated in international club. All four years of high school she played softball, serving as captain senior year, she played basketball and served as captain her junior and senior years.

Over a 10-year period, 12 Lincoln graduates have received $56,000.00 in scholarships from Lincoln’s 1957 graduating class.

At its 50-anniversary reunion in July 2007, the class supported James Ammeen, vice president, in his plans to start a scholarship fund. In less than two years, class members donated $105,000.00 to start the fund, administered by the Beaver County Foundation.

Ammeen and others on the class scholarship committee review information and essays from the applicants, whose names are not known, to determine the recipients.

The scholarship fund is supported by donations, including those from 1957 graduates who have pledged $57.00 a year. Individuals and groups may make contributions by mailing checks with a notation of “EC ’57 Scholarship,” to the Beaver County Foundation, P.O. Box 569, Beaver, PA 15009. All donations are tax deductible.