LCTI senior wins full-tuition scholarship to Cedar Crest College

Amaiya Kavachery, a senior at Lehigh Profession and Technical Institute, has a ardour for world languages and making college students really feel seen.

Because the winner of a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to Cedar Crest School, Kavachery, 18, will research secondary schooling and English with the hopes of in the future educating English language learners.

“She could be very inquisitive, she is courageous, not afraid to problem conventional ideations, and I feel she’ll be a terrific match for Cedar Crest,” Kathy Khanuja, LCTI schooling teacher, stated of Kavachery.

Cedar Crest, an Allentown liberal arts school primarily for girls, has held its annual scholarship competitors for 15 years, however this yr’s format was new: As a substitute of a standardized check, college students interviewed in entrance of a committee. Additionally new this yr, solely native teenagers have been thought of for the award.

Kavachery beat out 33 different scholarship candidates from excessive colleges throughout the Lehigh Valley. Greater than a dozen candidates may even be awarded partial tuition scholarships. Cedar Crest’s 2024-25 tuition is $45,664.

Cedar Crest President Elizabeth Meade, school workers and mascot Franki the Falcon, shocked Kavachery together with her scholarship win in a Tuesday go to to LCTI.

“I used to be ecstatic. I used to be so excited,” stated Kavachery, whose house faculty district is Parkland.

Kavachery has been attending LCTI full time for 2 years after transferring from Lehigh Valley Constitution Excessive College for the Arts, the place she studied literary arts, like artistic writing and poetry. She got here to LCTI to take part in its instructor schooling program. This faculty yr Kavachery is one in every of two college students collaborating in LCTI’s Future Educators pilot program.

Via the brand new program, Kavachery receives instruction at LCTI and Lehigh Carbon Group School. She has taken a number of schooling courses by her twin enrollment with the group school, together with programs on the foundations of schooling, careers in schooling and particular schooling. Kavachery stated she significantly loved studying about pupil lodging and studying modifications.

“I really like studying about that, as a result of for me, I’ll be very student-centered, I do know,” she stated.

“Positive, I’ll should grade plenty of your essays, however I feel it’s most likely more durable on the scholars,” Kavachery added. “They nonetheless have completely different studying kinds, completely different skills.”

Via the Future Educators program, Kavachery additionally will get to go to Lehigh Valley colleges for commentary days. Her favourite journey was to Newcomer Academy in Allentown, a faculty for college kids new to the USA who’ve skilled struggle or financial hardship that has interrupted their education.

Kavachery desires to be an ESL instructor, working with college students studying English, due to her love for various languages.

She grew up with dad and mom who converse languages aside from English — Spanish and Tamil, an Indian language — and has loved educating herself Korean in her spare time. She’s discovered the Korean alphabet by learning on-line. She was additionally very concerned within the Spanish Division at Constitution Arts.

“It’s simply so distinctive to know [other languages],” she stated. “There’s so many various folks on the market, and you’ll hear so many various tales, and I identical to that concept.”

“Why not spend the day educating about one thing that you just love?” she added.

Kavachery has additionally had optimistic experiences working with college students all through the area on latest commentary days.

On a go to to a Whitehall elementary faculty, Kavachery labored with a pupil who didn’t wish to do her assigned studying.

“She was simply sitting there simply wanting on the wall, so I requested her what was incorrect,” Kavachery stated. “I began to get her to start out studying on her personal. Earlier than I left the classroom, she ran as much as me and gave me a hug. And it simply felt actually good to know I helped a pupil.”

Kavachery had an identical expertise working with a particular schooling pupil at Parkland Excessive College. Collectively, they labored on a math worksheet about counting cash.

“It was simply actually enjoyable as a result of after all of it he gave me a excessive 5. He’s like, ‘Wow, that feels good to get that web page achieved,’” she stated.

Kavachery will quickly begin shadowing a mentor instructor at Orefield Center College two days every week to achieve additional publicity to the educating profession.

Katrina Borgerding, a faculty counselor who has labored with Kavachery for 3 years, stated the teenager is hardworking, decided and unafraid to take a stand for learners.

“She’s courageous, she’s clever, she’s competent,” Borgerding stated. “And I feel she’s going to make plenty of optimistic modifications on the planet of schooling.”

Exterior of faculty, Kavachery has had private challenges. Resulting from household difficulties, she’s been residing with an older sister. She works two part-time jobs to pay for her personal groceries and save up for driving classes.

When it got here to affording school, Kavachery knew the monetary burden could be one thing she took on alone. However now together with her scholarship to Cedar Crest, a few of Kavachery’s stress has dissipated. She’s wanting ahead to a recent begin and the chance to study extra about educating.

“It simply seems like an incredible reward,” Kavachery stated. “I all the time felt like I attempted so arduous … at school and felt like no one actually observed it, and now it simply seems like I’m heard. It feels very nice.”

Morning Name reporter Jenny Roberts will be reached at [email protected].