Local students awarded Passavant scholarship
Two local students were the recipients of the Passavant Memorial Homes Foundation’s Community Service Scholarship.
The awards went to Nandana Menon of South Fayette High School in Allegheny County and William Lemmon of Burgettstown Area Middle/High School in Washington County.
The organization typically awards one $10,000 scholarship, but awarded two this year.
Lemmon has done community service work with the local ALS Chapter, the Live Like Lou Foundation, the Reading Under the Stars Literacy Program, and is on the student board of directors for Club H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everyday). He also volunteers extensively at his church and is also a youth basketball and soccer coach and referee, and plays basketball, which he will continue in college.
He is attending St. Vincent College and plans to double major in health and physical education, and special education.
In collaboration with CGI and the University of Pittsburgh Autism Center, Menon developed Spark, an app designed to support children with autism and their families. She also led the design and implementation of a sensory-modified program at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, supporting neurodiversity for zoo visitors. She was an advocate and workshop facilitator for the Blue Envelope Program, which supports safer interactions between law enforcement and individuals with autism in Allegheny and Beaver counties by hosting training workshops and providing educational materials.
Menon is attending the University of Pittsburgh this fall and plans to study neuroscience.
This year, PMHF received 98 applications across 16 counties in western Pennsylvania.