First BASD Scholarship Recipients to Graduate
In 2016, Moravian College partnered with the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) to award the first Superintendent’s Scholarships to Destiny Rivera of Freedom High School and Alejandra Lara of Liberty. The scholarship, which is awarded annually to one student from each of Bethlehem’s public high schools, covers full tuition at Moravian College for four years. Rivera and Lara will graduate this year. Moravian College Magazine caught up with the seniors to ask about their Moravian experience and their plans for the future.
Destiny Rivera
Alejandra Lara (Photo credit: Josiah Soto ’20)
Moravian College Magazine: What are some highlights from the past four years?
Destiny Rivera: The opportunity to try many different classes. I took psych, English, any elective I could and ultimately discovered my love of design. Camille Murphy [assistant professor of art, head of the graphic and interactive design track] is an awesome professor. She’s hard, she pushes you, and she’s honest about your work, which is what you need in this field.
Alejandra Lara: I participated in the 1742 Experience before the start of freshman year. I’ve lived my whole life in the Lehigh Valley, and doing service throughout the valley exposed me to the needs of the community and showed me there’s so much I can do to help. Working with Gillian Sharkey [director of civic engagement], I caught her passion for community service. I love it, and I’ve realized the importance of giving back, returning the investment that people have made in me. Another high point of my experience has been the group of friends I’ve made from the Lehigh Valley. We’ve all lived near each other, but it took Moravian for us to come together. We have different majors, and sharing our different experiences and perspectives has brought us close.
MCM: What’s next?
DR: I want to work in graphic design, but there are so many options, I’m not sure yet what path I will choose. I like beauty and fashion, and I could see myself going into marketing, packaging, or social media. I did an independent study in packaging and am doing another independent study in digital illustration. Also, I have an internship with Shayna Rose Interiors in New York City that could lead to employment after I graduate.
AL: I want to work in donor relations or fundraising, preferably in the nonprofit sector. Currently I am looking at fellowship opportunities, specifically the FAO Schwarz Fellowship, a two-year program that places fellows with leading nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.
MCM: Choose just one word to describe Moravian College.
DR: Opportunity. Moravian offers opportunity in every sense—lots of majors as well as the option to self-design but also the opportunity to improve academically or figure out what you are interested in by talking with the professors here, who are very open and supportive.
AL: Happiness. My experience has been extremely positive—the friendships, the support from staff and professors, and having found my passion. A friend who goes to another college once said to me, “I wish I could talk about my school with the happiness and enjoyment that you talk about Moravian.”