At the May 9 meeting of the Freehold branch of the American Association of University Women, representatives of the organization presented the six highest-ranking female seniors from the Freehold Regional High School District monetary awards of $500.
The awards are named for Rose Fishkin, who was a Cornell graduate, a member of the branch and a believer in lifelong education for women, according to a press release.
The branch’s annual book sale provides the funds that are used for the scholarships.
The young women who were honored are:
Christine Floristean, Manalapan High School. During her senior year, Christine and her partner created a computer program that could write sheet music for an audio file. They were awarded second prize at the Temple University Future Computing Competition. Christine is a participant in the Science League, the Math and Spanish honor societies, and the National Honor Society. Christine volunteers at Bayshore Hospital, plays the piano and attends weekend lectures at Columbia’s Science Honors Program. She will attend Columbia University, where she will major in biomedical engineering or material science.
Lisa Nekrasova, Marlboro High School. Lisa attends the FRHSD’s Business Learning Center at Marlboro High School and is the captain of the swim team. She is a National Honor Society member, Future Business Leader, and an accomplished tap dancer. She is a member of the Spanish Honor Society and the Math League. Lisa participated in the Fed Challenge, where a group of high school students help to create a plan for moving the economy forward. She will attend the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Victoria Simpson, Freehold High School. Victoria has a passion for applied art, science and history and hopes to attend veterinary school. She is a member of the National Honor Society and is a captain and varsity letter winner in volleyball. Victoria is a competitive horse rider. She has received the St. Timothy Award from the Diocese of Trenton for service to the St. Rose Youth Club. Rutgers is her college of choice this fall.
Abigail Thompson, Howell High School. Last spring Abigail wrote the Barnes & Noble winning essay for “My Favorite Teacher 2012.” She is a board member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, and writes for the Howell school newspaper. Abigail is a co-president of Interact and a member of Care. She attended Brown University’s Environmental Leadership Program in Hawaii and is headed to Rutgers University in the fall.
Kathryn Foley, Colts Neck High School. Kate volunteered for the Special Olympics of New Jersey and Operation Shoe Box and is a lifeguard at Spring Lake during the summer. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Principal’s Honor Roll and a member of the cross country and swim teams. Outside of school, she swims for the YMCA of Western Monmouth County competitive team. She has chosen Clemson as her college of choice.
Megan Hayes, Freehold Township High School. Megan volunteered at the Oakley House and earned her Girl Scout Gold Award for running a vacation Bible school at St. Robert Bellarmine Church. Her favorite subjects are science and math, and she enjoys reading “Beat Generation” literature. Megan is president of the National Honor Society and a member of the Science League. She will attend the University of Pennsylvania with plans to major in physics.