Among this year’s Elizabethtown College first-year students, five were selected by Stamps Family Charitable Foundation to receive full-tuition scholarships.
The Stamps community and merit scholarship program were started by Penny and Roe Stamps in 2006 as a means of discovering the brightest minds across the United States. Stamps scholarship students come from a variety of backgrounds and intend to graduate from E-town in pursuit of differing futures, but they share qualities that the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation recognizes as meaningful for society’s leaders: perseverance, scholarship, service, leadership and innovation.
In addition to full tuition, Stamps Scholars receive a $6,000 enrichment fund, which can be used for a service project, an internship, study abroad or other qualified education experience, and are assigned a personal faculty mentor for the duration of their undergraduate career.
Sara Allocco, was president of the Shaker Forum, a volunteer group at her high school, through which she raised funds to help found a school for the deaf in Uganda that is not segregated by hearing ability. The Albany County, New York, Shaker High School graduate participated in World Youth day by traveling to Kraków, Poland, for a 10-day pilgrimage. “[This trip] allowed me to improve my foreign language skills, learn more about Polish culture and interact with young people from around the world,” she said in a written bio. When she is not volunteering at a food pantry or improving her foreign language skills, she runs and explores the art of photography. After graduation, Allocco is considering a career in law or the U.S Foreign Service.
I … am grateful and excited to see where the Stamps Scholarship takes me.”
At the age of five, Liuba Miranosava and her mother, who had no prior knowledge of English, moved to Pennsylvania from Belarus. At Stroudsburg High School in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Miranosava founded the World Club and was president of Key Club and chair of the executive committee of THON. In addition she bused tables five hours a week. A percussionist, Miranosava hopes to play in various musical ensembles during her time at the College. She also plans to get involved in service projects, study abroad and hopes to attain her 150 hours of education credits to be eligible to get a certified public accountant’s license and a master’s degree. Her dream is to join the Peace Corps and educate unprivileged children. “I hope to take advantage of new opportunities that come my way and am grateful and excited to see where the Stamps Scholarship takes me,” Miranosava said.
Rebecca Voler, who graduated from Cocalico Senior High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was team captain of brain busters and quiz bowl. She was president of National Honor Society (NHS) and music honor society, sang in the all-state choir and played Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. With a commitment to service, she volunteered with a food bank, a summer lunch program for children and a local nursing home. She has played trumpet for eight years, participated in three ensembles in high school, and hopes to continue her musical interests while at E-town. She intends to major in chemistry or education and plans to use the Stamps stipend to study abroad.
At Manchester Valley High School in Carroll County, Maryland, Ethan Waugh participated in and led several clubs. He was president of NHS, chair of the planning committee for Relay for Life and captain of the cross country team. He also worked 20 hours a week as a line cook, according to the Stamps Foundation bio. At Elizabethtown, Waugh hopes to pursue a double major in Spanish and international business while participating in community service and language-oriented clubs. His goal is to become fluent in multiple languages. “I believe that one of the most effective ways to positively impact the world comes by taking an international approach in this ever-globalizing economy,” he wrote in his bio.
As a part of a military family, Jonathon Wiseman has lived in 13 cities in several countries including Russia, Germany and Estonia. The International School of Estonia grad completed a rigorous international business program while switching schools during the two-year program, according to the Stamps Foundation. He intends to major in actuarial science. Wiseman wrote that he chose E-town, in part, because he wanted to belong to a tight community and hopes to discover his passions, study abroad and create a home for himself during his time as an undergraduate.