Freedom HS senior Emma Lazo April 28 at Freedom HS has been named a recipient of the prestigious Cooke College Scholarship awarded through the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Lazo is among 100 applicants selected out of the thousands who applied nationally and one of only four chosen from Pennsylvania.

“We have lots of great kids and Emma is top of the list this year,” said Bethlehem Area Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy. “We are excited to present her with a BASD proud celebration in her honor to showcase her accomplishments.”

Scholarship recipients receive up to $55,000 annually towards a college education. Lazo will attend Yale University in the fall where she will study neuroscience tuition-free with the help of this scholarship.

“Being able to attend college without tuition takes a burden off anyone,” Lazo said during a press conference recognizing her accomplishment. “It is definitely a huge burden off my parents, and to be able to attend such a prestigious school like Yale is amazing.”

“Thank you to my teachers, my parents, my friends, the BASD community and everyone for their support,” she added.

Lazo’s achievements include being a first-generation college student after she and her family immigrated from El Salvador. She is part of BASD’s STEM, engineering and Spanish clubs and a member of the Heroin and Opioid Forum at Northampton County Community College. She also participated in research with the American Chemical Society where she honed her interest in neuroscience. And this year she served as Freedom’s student reporter for the Bethlehem Press.

“This shows that with a combination of strong family support, opportunities offered in the community, talent and hard work, the possibilities are endless for our students,” Roy said.