This week, 30 high school seniors from the Greater Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley region were recognized by the Green Family Foundation and Firstrust Bank at the 52^nd annual Samuel A. Green Scholarship program ceremony. The awards program, one of the region’s most renowned high school scholarship programs, granted $140,000 in college tuition to community-minded seniors who competed by penning a personal essay about leveraging education as a means to substantially impact their communities. 

The deserving students were celebrated in a virtual ceremony. More than 750 students applied for the scholarships this year. 

“The Samuel A. Green Scholarship Program is built on the legacy of my grandfather, Firstrust’s Founder, who was a staunch believer in encouraging students to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams,” said Richard J. Green, Chairman and CEO of Firstrust and Trustee of the Green Family Foundation. “Now in its 52^nd year, we’ve been fortunate enough to continue to grow the program and award $140,000 in scholarships this year, the most we’ve ever given in one year.”

Samuel A. Green, founder of Firstrust Bank, believed in the importance of receiving a college education and using it to give back to the community. For more than 86 years, the bank remains committed to these same values. This annual scholarship program upholds those founding principles by honoring young people in the region who reflect these principles. 

The 30 scholarship recipients were selected based on their written responses to a topic that is rooted in the mission of Firstrust, “How Will Your College Education Help You to Make a Substantial Impact in Your Community?”

Central Bucks High School student Alexandra Charlton, B. Reed Henderson High School student Andre Washington, and Cherry Hill High School East student Chelsea Yang received the top three grand prizes of $10,000 each. 

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The following students earned second, third and fourth places for their essays and have received $7,500, $5,000, and $2,500 scholarships respectively: 

‍Second Place Winners - $7,500 scholarships

• Nicholas Hsieh, Bayard Rustin High School
• Madison Karlin, Abington Senior High School
• Kleydis Kaya, Northeast High School
• Amy Liu, Central Bucks High School
• Jessica Wolfe, William Penn Charter School

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Third Place Winners - $5,000 scholarships

• Myles Bell, B. Reed Henderson High School
• Molly Cohen, Cheltenham High School 
• Cameron Hines, Southern Lehigh High School
• Iris Shi, Cherry Hill High School East
• Lilly Smith, New Hope-Solebury High School
• Yasir Valentine, Cheltenham High School
• Anna Wojcik, Downingtown High School East

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Fourth Place Winners - $2,500 scholarships

• Nwai Alfa, West Catholic Preparatory High School
• Benjamin Beal, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
• Laura Benner, Souderton Area High School
• Joshua Cuozzo, West Chester East High School 
• Kaitlyn Leshak, Lansdale Catholic High School
• Charis Liu, Moorestown High School
• Emily Mastroly, Downingtown High School East
• Trevor Melton, Souderton Area High School
• Olivia Millevoi, Mount Saint Joseph Academy
• Indreal Morris, John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School
• Dhruvi Patel, Bensalem High School
• Gina Pellizzeri, Archbishop Ryan High School
• Isabella Scupp, Central Bucks High School West
• Brooke Smith, Saint Hubert Catholic High School for Girls
• Justin Whitney, Cherry Hill High School East

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The Samuel A. Green Scholarship Program has helped the Green Family Foundation and Firstrust Bank award more than $1 million to nearly 1,500 local college-bound students and families in the past 52 years.

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