Scholarships – The Media Pub News (TM)

Lesniak Institute introduces Humane State license plate

Kelly Qiang is the winner of the Humane State – N.J. license plate contest. She updates her plate design with the following: a black bear representing Pedals’ Law; an elephant representing Nosey’s Law; a dog for banning puppy mills; and a cat for ending suffering for community cats. — Provided photo

TRENTON, N.J. – Sen. Raymond Lesniak has recently announced winners from among 146

contestants from 21 New Jersey schools for the Humane State license plate design.

The Lesniak Institute for American Leadership sponsored the contest for K-12 students in New Jersey. The students wrote essay competitions and participated in the Humane State license plates design for animal welfare.

The first place winner for the license plate was Kelly Qiang from High Technology High School in Middletown Twp., who created her design based on four causes of the Lesniak Institute.

“We deserve to be called the Humane State,” said Sen. Lesniak. “New Jersey has proven to be a national leader in protecting animals from cruelty and extinction on the face of the earth.”

Sen. Lesniak hopes that when the Humane State license plates debut you will buy them to display “your compassion, your concern, and your support for making New Jersey the humane state.”

As a senator, founder and president of the Lesniak Institute, he has been instrumental in advocating for animal rights, among many other humane causes.

Sen. Lesniak was the “proud” sponsor of the initial law in the nation to ban ivory products and transactions involving ivory products and rhino horns.

Sen. Ray Lesniak cares for animals and shows that by holding a puppy here.
– Provided photo

Since then, he has legislated for other animal rights such as Nosey’s Law, Pedlars’ Law, Puppy Mills, and Gestation Cages. These are pending bills.

He said the Humane State license plate design is an extension of these bills, and that it is “aspirational” in terms of serving as a reminder to individuals for protecting animals from abuse.

So, the ideas behind the license plate design are not only to recognize New Jersey as the Humane State, but also to promote students and citizens’ involvement.

The top two winners of the license plates designs were awarded $1,000 each in scholarships, while the top six winners for the essay contest will get $500 each in

scholarships.

The winners for the essay contest will be decided Jan. 15, 2019.

Meanwhile at the recent press conference, Brian Hackett, executive director of New Jersey Humane Society commends the students for their “fine’’ work and praised the Lesniak Institute for their efforts towards animal protection.

“We are glad to see that animal welfare and animal protection is one of the causes that the institute is taking up,” said Hackett.

He also said aid that the senator has been successful in enacting a bill that reformed how animal cruelty cases in the State are investigated and prosecuted.

Funds and proceeds from sale of the plates will go to the Animal Welfare Federation of New Jersey, and grants will go to local agencies such as the local police, animal shelters, and the Sheriff’s Department that enforces the welfare of animals, said Hackett.

The Lesniak Institute was formed at the beginning of this year. The Humane State license plate design competition was a one-time contest.

The Institute hopes the plate design will be around for a lifetime.

— Follow Michelle Dryden on Twitter @Michelle_Dryden

For 100 years now, Trenton College Club awards scholarships to public high school girls

The Trenton College Club recently awarded these nine girls $9000 in scholarships awards at a ceremony at First Presbyterian Church in Hamilton. (Provided photo)

HAMILTON, N.J. — The Trenton College Club branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) recently awarded $9000 in scholarships to deserving high school girls during a ceremony at First Presbyterian Church in Hamilton.

Trenton College club is 106 years old and has been awarding scholarships since 1917. It is a local 50-members branch of the AAUW that has chapters all over New Jersey and is a national organization.

The President of Trenton College Club, Maggie Kramer, said they are invested in the education of Mercer County public schools’ female students because “it is the mission of the AAUW and we are the Trenton branch.”

The overall mission of the Trenton College Club branch and that of the AAUW state that it is interested in “advancing equality for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research.”

This organization has grown in size and in giving over the last 106 years and has donated money to causes beyond education.

“In the last 10 years, we have given over $51,000 to the Kiwanis Club, $1,000 each year to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), $1,000 to the Salvation Army…,” stated Kramer.

While some of their charities and donations are available just by word-of-mouth, the Trenton College Club chapter reaches out to guidance counselors in all Mercer County public high schools to inform them of scholarship applications for their female seniors.

The Scholarship Committee Chairperson, Mary Margaret Murphy, said, “We get tremendous satisfaction in seeing the bright, engaged, focused and smart girls that the schools in Mercer County are turning out. They are focused on their goals and we are happy to award them these scholarships.”

Corresponding Secretary, Marilyn Silverman, said that at the award dinner, each girl stood up and thanked the Trenton College Club for their scholarships and “told us what she’s going to do with the money and how the money is going to help her achieve these goals.” She added, “they’ll be studying in very interesting fields such as accounting and medicine.”

The nine Mercer County high school female senior awardees were students from Hamilton West, Steinert, and Ewing High School. From Hamilton West were Ashley Gerstnicker, Victoria Blankenmiller, and Amanda Sensi; from Steinert were Nicole Bumbera, Danielle Standifer, and Sabrian Queval; and from Ewing High School were Olivia Czelusniak, Caroline Unger, and Chidiebube Nwadiobgu.