Foundation Awards Annual Scholarships

Back, from left to right: David Quinones, Jr.; Joan Cusack-McGuirk, President & CEO St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital; Anne Marie Schoonhoven, Executive Director, St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation; Charles E. Frankel St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation Board of Directors; Charles A. Walwyn, III, Chairman, St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation Board of Directors; Front, from left to right: Alexandra DeFoe; Riddhi Patel; Margaret “Chip” Pelella, Chairwoman, St. Luke’s Cornwall Auxiliary; Zeyad El-Naghy 

Newburgh, NY -- The St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation awarded its four annual scholarships to graduating high school seniors entering an accredited university or community college in the fall of 2018. These scholarships were provided in recognition of not only scholastic excellence but also the volunteerism displayed by each recipient. The 2018 scholarship recipients included students from Cornwall Central High School, Newburgh Free Academy, as well as New Paltz High School and Washingtonville High School. Congratulations to them on all of their hard work and dedication.

Michael L. Pappis, MD Memorial Scholarship

This year’s scholarship has been awarded to Alexandra DeFoe, a graduating senior from New Paltz High School. Alexandra has participated in “New Visions Health,” a program that provided her the opportunity to shadow healthcare professionals through clinical rotations at a hospital in Kingston, NY. Alexandra has demonstrated commitment and passion to become a medical professional. She has chosen to attend the University of Vermont in the fall of 2018.

Albert M. Berkelhamer Memorial Scholarship

The Albert M. Berkelhamer Scholarship recipient this year is David Quinones, Jr. David is active within his community. For the past two years, David has dedicated many hours as an SLCH Hospital Volunteer, working in the SLCH Emergency Department. David will be graduating from Washingtonville High School and is planning to attend James Madison University in the fall.

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship

The St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Auxiliary Scholarships have been awarded to Riddhi Patel, a graduating senior from Newburgh Free Academy and Zeyad El-Naghy. Riddhi will be attending St. Bonaventure University as a Pre-Med student, pursuing a career in pediatric cardiology. She has been a volunteer in the Elaine Kaplan NICU, where she was able to experience first-hand the difference that doctors can make in not just the lives of their patients, but their families as well. Zeyad is a graduating senior from Cornwall Central High School. He plans to attend New York University as a Pre-Med student and has volunteered in the Emergency Department at SLCH for the past four years.

“On behalf of the entire St. Luke’s Cornwall Health System Foundation, we would like to congratulate this year’s recipients, and are so proud to be able to provide local students with scholarships each year, “said Anne Marie Schoonhoven, Executive Director of the Foundation. “This is an exemplary group of individuals and we wish them well in their educational endeavors.”

About St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital 

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) is a not-for-profit community hospital with campuses in Newburgh and Cornwall, NY. The hospital is dedicated to serving the health care needs of the Hudson Valley and has achieved excellence in the delivery of compassionate and comprehensive health care services. The Joint Commission noted SLCH for excellence in Key Quality Measures in the management of Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Stroke and Surgical Care. SLCH is also recognized as an industry leader in using information technology to improve patient care, by winning the Most Wired Award for the fourth year in a row. In January 2018, SLCH officially became part of the Montefiore Health System to strengthen the delivery of health care locally and enhance access to exceptional specialty care for Hudson Valley residents.