The annual Stein Family College Scholarship of the Tidewater Jewish Foundation was awarded this month to Lucie Waldman, a soon-to-be graduate of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. Lucie is the 10th recipient of the four-year scholarship provided to a Jewish student in Tidewater. Headed to Franklin and Marshall University in Pennsylvania to major in neuroscience, she will receive up to $10,000 per year.
Lucie attended URJ Camp Harlem in Pennsylvania for five years. A couple of years ago on the drive back from camp, she toured Franklin and Marshall. She says she liked the vibe of the school and felt that its strong pre-med program seemed “doable and not intimidating.” Since it is a small school, F&M allows for classes of 24 students. Lucie feels she will thrive there. “I’m excited to be with people that are more similar to me and get involved in more activities and take classes I’m passionate about. They have an active Hillel and I’m looking forward to being involved there.”
In addition to camp, Lucie has participated in Jewish life through working as a teaching assistant at Ohef Sholom Temple for several years. Much of her experience was with one student who had some challenges. Lucie developed a one-on-one relationship with her, moved up with her through four years of Hebrew School, and then was given the honor of making a special presentation at her Bat Mitzvah. Lucie was also involved in Ohef Sholom Temple Youth group, wrote for her school newspaper, and was on the board of her school’s Psychology Club. This summer, Lucie will be a counselor at the URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy. She was drawn to the camp because it integrates Judaism, science, and technology.
Lucie says she was surprised to be awarded the Stein Family Scholarship because she knows there were many exceptional applicants. She says that she was careful to research Arlene Stein so that she would understand what the scholarship was about. When she learned about her commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world, Lucie felt that her own desire to help people through the field of medicine would be a good expression of that value.
“Last summer, I attended Brandeis University’s Global Youth Summit on the Future of Medicine, and it was the most beneficial experience I ever had in high school. It was very taxing, but inspiring to see what the medical research field can do for the future. We learned about gene editing and CRISPR, which can cure disorders and save millions of lives,” she says.
Lucie says she wants to help others through research and medicine and is grateful to have been selected to receive this prestigious honor from the Stein Family and TJF.
The Stein Family College Scholarship was established in 2009 in memory of Arlene Stein who did not complete college because of financial hardship. Jerry Stein, her beloved husband, passed away in 2014. The Tidewater Jewish Foundation works closely with the Stein Family in administering this scholarship to a deserving Hampton Roads teen.
Prior recipients of the scholarship include Morgan Conley (Brandeis University ’13), Eric Smith (University of Virginia ’14), Marissa Arager (George Mason University ’15), Avi Malkin (College of William and Mary ’16), Dinar Yusufov (James Madison University ’17), Amanda Gladstone (Virginia Tech ’18), Dana Cohen (Virginia Tech ’19), Brett Pomerantz (Virginia Tech ’20), and Sydney Levine (University of Virginia ’21).
– Barb Gelb