Burlington County Commissioners Celebrate Student Scholarship Winners
Student scholars Delores King, Sydney Robateau, Ayanna Wilkins, Nylah Settle and Rayna Staley were each awarded $1,000 scholarships during Tuesday’s reception at the Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences in Mount Holly.
The scholarships and reception were sponsored by the Burlington County Commissioners, Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council, Virtua Health, Remington & Vernick Engineers and the Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“As women leaders we have a responsibility to serve as mentors and role models for the next generation, and I’m proud of our Women’s Advisory Council for their work to inspire and support our county’s young achievers,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Dr. Felicia Hopson, liaison to the Women’s Advisory Council. “Awarding scholarships is one of the ways we support our future leaders, and we want to thank our generous sponsors for partnering with us to help grow this program so we can recognize and assist more standout scholars.”
Two of the scholarships – called the Burlington County Future Leaders Award -- were awarded to high achieving students who have demonstrated excellence and dedication and who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen fields. Pemberton Township High School senior Delores King and Rancocas Valley Regional High senior Sydney Robbateau received the two awards.
The Virtua Health Light Maker Scholarship, awarded to an outstanding student interested in a career in health care, went to Burlington County Institute of Technology-Westampton senior Nylah Settle.
The Remington & Vernick STEM Innovation Scholarship, awarded to an exceptional student interested in pursuing a career in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) field, went to Moorestown High School senior Ayanna Wilkins.
The Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce Future Entrepreneur Scholarship was awarded to an exemplary student interested in pursing a career in business or entrepreneurship. This year’s award went to Delran High School senior Rayna Staley.
Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel said all five scholarship recipients are stellar students who have gone above and beyond in and out of school.
“These five young women are top-performing students who have already demonstrated leadership and a dedication to service both in school and their communities,” said Commissioner Allison Eckel, who is also a liaison to the Women’s Council. “We are proud to help support their continuing education and we look forward to them carrying on our county’s legacy of outstanding women.”
The Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council works to identify and address issues that impact women in Burlington County, increase public awareness about the special needs of women and to enhance the quality of life of women. For more information, follow tine Council on Facebook at @BurlingtonCountyWomen or visit https://co.burlington.nj.us/263/Womens-Advisory-Council .
The following is a rundown of the scholarship award winners:
Future Leader Scholarship-Delores King, Pemberton Township
Delores King is graduating from Pemberton Township High School and plans to attend Rider University to study biochemistry. She hopes to become a biochemist in the U.S. Army and develop new medications and vaccinations.
Delores is already a proven leader in school, where she serves as Executive Officer and Head of Staff for Pemberton Township High’s Army JROTC. She also competed on the JROTC drone team. She is a member of National Honor Society and is active with Scouting America and the Girl Scouts, achieving the Eagle Scout rank along with leadership positions of Senior Patrol Leader and Troop Guide. She is currently working to achieve the Girl Scouts Gold Award.
Delores also has a long history of volunteer community service, including cleaning her church grounds, participating in food drives, constructing benches for the Whitesbog Historic Trust and making toys for the pets at the Burlington County Animal Shelter. Earlier this year she received the Women on Pines Award for Upcoming Youth from the Pemberton Township Recreation Department.
Future Leader Scholarship-Sydney Robateau, Rancocas Valley Regional
Sydney Robateau, of Westampton, is graduating from Rancocas Valley Regional High School and plans to attend Penn State University to study biology with a focus on virology and immunology.
Sydney says she was inspired by the 1995 movie Outbreak and hopes to protect people from seemingly unstoppable viruses. In school, she has served as the National Honor Society Blood Drive Chair and its Public Relations Officer. She was also a member of the National Spanish Honor Society, RV Step Team, Future Medical Professions Club, Rock Lab and Pop Rocks Club.
Outside of school, Robateau has volunteered at Virtua Memorial hospital in Mount Holly as a biomedical assistant. She has also done volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, the Virtua Voorhees Food Pantry, Grace Church Food Pantry and Food Bank of South Jersey Health and Wellness Program. In addition to her volunteer work, she has been part of the Alice Paul Institute’s Girl’s Leadership Council and the Delta Gems Leadership Program.
Remington & Vernick Engineers STEM Innovation Scholarship- Ayanna Wilkins, Moorestown
Ayanna Wilkins is graduating from Moorestown High School and plans to pursue a degree in architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She hopes to one day become an architect specializing in sustainable building methods and incorporating greenery into design.
Ayanna is president of Moorestown High’s Comic Club, and she volunteers with the school’s Interact Club, participating in beach cleanups at Long Beach Island and visits to a local nursing home, as well as the Soup for Soul program at the Moorestown Recreation Center.
Ayanna has also participated in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority events with her aunt, and she is also enrolled in a research class at Rowan College at Burlington County focusing on climate research and methods to salvage land and preserve biodiversity.
Virtua Health Light Maker Scholarship-Nylah Settle, Florence
Nylah Settle, of Florence, is graduating from the Burlington County Institute of Technology-Westampton. She plans to attend Temple University in the fall and enroll in the university’s pre-nursing program with the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.
At BCIT, Nylah majored in Allied Health Occupations to gain skills in the medical field. She received her certification as a Patient Care Technician this year and volunteers with Virtua Memorial hospital in Mount Holly, shadowing nurses and patient care technicians to assist with patients recovering from surgery and other medical conditions.
Nylah also volunteers at the Masonic Village in Burlington Township and with BookSmiles, a Pennsauken-based group that collects and redistributes books to children. She is a member of BCIT’s Leading Ladies club, which focuses on building confidence, leadership and life skills.
Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce Future Entrepreneur Scholarship-Rayna Staley, Delran
Rayna Staley is graduating from Delran High School and plans to attend Eastern University to study business. She hopes to someday open her own business at the Jersey Shore.
Rayna is already a budding entrepreneur who started her own business called Delran Do It Alls when she was in 6th grade. The business offered services such as yard work and odd jobs in Delran neighborhoods and employed other teens. She also founded the high school Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she is president of the school Ornithological Society, which coordinates birdwatching trips and promotes conservation education.
Rayna serves as an ambassador for the high school STEM program and volunteers with the Animal Lovers Club. She helped advocate for the creation of the Delran High School women’s golf team, and she performs with several elite choirs, including the Garden State Girlchoir and ChildrenSong of New Jersey.