LEBANON VAL.

Lebanon Valley College students Jasmine Olvany and Megan Lough have been named Fulbright Finalists and will spend the upcoming year living abroad.

The prestigious Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Olvany will head to Budapest, Hungary, a place where she has previously spent a summer conducting research.

“I will work to create di-molecules that will be able to track the diffusion of individual molecules across a membrane,” she said. “The long-term implications will help us determine how certain drugs interact with cells so we can figure out ways to passage them through easier and allow us to image the cell membrane in a way we haven’t ever seen.”

Her plans for after her Fulbright year include attending Case Western University, where she will work toward her Ph.D. After that, you can be sure to find her working with government agencies to continue international collaboration in the sciences.

Lough received an English Teaching Assistant Fulbright and will travel to Bulgaria.

Along with teaching English and literature to high school students, Lough plans to work with the BEST Foundation, a speech and debate organization run by Fulbright grantees. She will have the opportunity to coach students on debate skills and help them prepare for competitions where they analyze and interpret literature and poetry.

“My goal for my Fulbright grant is to use literature as a tool to expose my students to various backgrounds and experiences, and to use that literature as a way to start important conversations about our culture,” Lough said.

After she completes her Fulbright, Lough plans to use her experiences and apply it to a career in teaching middle and high school students.

phi kappa phi

The following students were recently initiated into the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society:

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania: Jade Hensinger of Kempton, Darion Nomie of Orefield and Gabriel Bodisch of Allentown; and

Kean University: Alexis Oakley of Allentown.

Moravian

The following area residents recently earned degrees from Moravian College, Bethlehem:

Bachelor of Arts:

Allentown: Jaime Leigh Conklin, Jennifer L. Wehrle, Charbel AbiZeid, Amanda S. Azar, Hernan A. Cordoba, Dayana Cruz, Catherine Mae Gladys, Mohamed Abbas S. Khaku, Daniel Joseph Loughlin, Jaheen Maru, Marlon F. Moraga, Christian J. Negron, Esther J. Pena, Khalil C. Raymond, Priscilla Ruth Rivera, Roceni Rodriguez, Elias Saba;

Bachelor of Science:

Allentown: Nicolas P. Ampietro, Autumn L. Childs, Kathryn Elyse Dickinson, Maya G. Fustakgi, Alexis Kimberly Thiel;

Bachelor of Science in Nursing:

Allentown: Jailene Benitez, Kyla Rae Crivellaro, Artoria Corine Fox, Andrew Joseph Hornick, Breanna Rose Kramer, Nancy Rau Leitgeb, Rennae Mallett, Christy Lorene Powell, Diane Marie Rivera and Gabrielle D. Rivera;

Master of Education:

Allentown: Hailey R. Adlard; and

Master of Business Administration:

Allentown: Thomas J. Kelly, Brian Kerecz, Bryan G. Kish, Tonya Nichole Lee,

Breinigsville: Jeremy C. Schmoyer

Orefield: Elizabeth Anne Bird, Brian John Shaffer

Macungie: James Richard Henshaw Jr.

Slatington: Kevin J. Brown.

ALBURTIS

Zion Lehigh Lutheran Church, 8269 Spring Creek Road, Alburtis, will offer Holy Communion Oct. 29 with the Rev. Thomas Kochenderfer.

Following the service a German meal will be served. All are welcome to attend.