Morgan Scholarships change lives for LCCC students
Writer| Gretchen Pucklavage
Scholarships are amazing opportunities for students to grow their education without the added stress of financial burdens.
John E. Morgan desired to uplift and educate his community of Tamaqua. To honor his wishes, in 2002, the Morgan Trust Foundation donated $4.75 million to Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC).
This opened the doors to Tamaqua’s LCCC Campus, the John and Dorothy Morgan Center for Higher Education.
The money donated by the Morgan Trust Foundation gives graduates of Tamaqua High School an opportunity at higher learning with few costs through the Morgan Success Scholarship, and Morgan Beyond Scholarship, and the Morgan Guest Student Scholarship.
"Starting in 2003, graduates of Tamaqua High school were eligible for the Morgan Success Scholarship, which guaranteed them two years…tuition-free at LCCC as long as they had graduated [from] Tamaqua High School,” said Benjamin Turrano, LCCC Admissions Representative located at the Morgan Center in Tamaqua.
George Zubey, a 2006 Tamaqua High School graduate, was a part of the third class to receive the Morgan Success Scholarship. He graduated from LCCC with an associates degree in liberal arts in 2008 and furthered his education at Bloomsburg University. Zubey reflects on how the scholarship helped shape his future.
"When you look back on it, I do not think you realize how significant of an impact it is,” Zubey said. “The Morgan Scholarship is fantastic and provides [a] great opportunity for students to receive a quality education."
The Morgan Beyond Scholarship allows Tamaqua Graduates up to $20,000 in scholarship money for continuing their education past their associate degree.
Richard Evans, a 2018 Tamaqua graduate and senior at Bloomsburg University, benefited from the Morgan Success Scholarship and the Morgan Beyond Scholarship.
"The Morgan Scholarships helped relieve a lot of unwanted stress and gave me thousands of dollars toward tuition,” he said.
Additionally, for students who attend other colleges and opt to take courses at LCCC part-time (like during winter break or summer), there is a Morgan Guest Student Scholarship.
Students who want to learn more about the Morgan Foundation Scholarships should visit the Morgan Foundation Scholarships website or contact Ben Turrano at bturrano@lccc.edu.