LVCF Coordinated Scholarships

For these scholarships, a Lehigh Valley Community Foundation-coordinated Selection Committee will choose the students to receive scholarships. The Selection Committee may be comprised of representatives from the Foundation and other community members as approved by the Foundation’s CEO.

The determination of the Selection Committee, the selection of scholarship recipients, and the granting of scholarship funds, among other aspects of the scholarship process, shall be conducted in accordance with the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation’s Policies and Procedures for Scholarships and Awards, as in effect at any given time

The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation administers an application process for two annual scholarships for high school seniors attending public, private or charter high schools, or community college in Lehigh, Northampton and Bucks County.

Stephanie Olexa and Seth Weber Scholarship for Criminal Justice | Awarded to a high school senior or community college student who will be majoring in criminal justice or law enforcement at an accredited institution for post-secondary education.

The Stephanie Olexa and Seth Weber Scholarship for the Life Sciences | Awarded to a high school senior or community college student who will be majoring in the life sciences at an accredited institution for post-secondary education.Learn more or apply for an Olexa Weber Scholarship 

 The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation administers an application process for two annual scholarships for high school seniors attending public, private or charter high schools, or community college in Lehigh, Northampton and Bucks County. The scholarships provide funds for post-secondary education at an accredited institution to individuals who intend to major in the life sciences or who intend to major in Criminal Justice or Law Enforcement, with a preference for first generation college students and/or students from low-income households.  See further details of each scholarship below.

The Fall 2025 scholarship application is now closed (2026 Dates TBA)

• Application Period opens March 2026
• Application Period closes May 2026
• Awards Announced June 2026

TO APPLY: Students can create an account and submit an application for the Olexa Weber Scholarship opportunities using this link: https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=lehighvalleys
 

Note: High school seniors or those who are currently enrolled in community college are able to apply. A total of $6,100 is available for the scholarships in 2025.

Criteria for Eligibility:

Students attending Lehigh, Northampton, and Bucks County accredited high schools (public, private or charter), Bucks County Community College, Northampton Community College, or Lehigh Carbon Community College are eligible to apply.

Scholarship 1, known as The Stephanie Olexa and Seth Weber Scholarship for Criminal Justice, will be awarded to a student(s) who will be majoring in Criminal Justice or Law Enforcement at an accredited institution for post-secondary education.

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Scholarship 2, known as The Stephanie Olexa and Seth Weber Scholarship for Life Sciences, will be awarded to a student(s) who will be majoring in the life sciences at an accredited institution for post-secondary education.

Preference will be given to: 1) students who will be the first in their families to receive education beyond the high school level (“first generation college students”); and/or 2) students whose household income is less than two times the poverty rate (“low-income households”). 

For more information, contact Holly Fitzpatrick via email: Holly@lvcfoundation.org

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About Stephanie Olexa and Seth Weber

Stephanie Olexa, Ph.D., was born and raised on the South Side of Bethlehem.  She was the first member of her family to attend college.  Stephanie received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia; her Ph.D. degree in BioChemistry from Temple University and her master’s in business administration degree (M.B.A.) from Lehigh University.

After completing her Ph.D., Stephanie worked at Temple University Medical School, Rohm and Haas and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., before starting her own business, Benchmark Analytics, an environmental testing laboratory, which she operated for 20 years.  Stephanie is now a Certified Leadership Coach and an Adjunct Professor and workshop leader at the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation at Lehigh University.

Seth Weber, Esquire, was born and raised in Astoria, Queens, where he lived in a housing project.  In his senior year of high school in Teaneck, NJ, Seth had the opportunity to intern with his local police department where he enjoyed all of the good work that many police officers perform on a daily basis to protect and serve the public.  Seth attended Rutgers University where he helped to create a four-year Criminal Justice degree.  He received the very first Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice awarded by the University and went on to receive his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Temple University Law School in Philadelphia.

Seth worked almost his entire career as a lawyer in the criminal justice system.  He was an Assistant Public Defender and later an Assistant District Attorney in Bucks County. Eventually he became a federal prosecutor, Assistant United States Attorney, in Philadelphia and Allentown.  Currently, Seth is an Adjunct Professor in the Undergraduate Criminal Justice Department and in the Master’s in Criminal Justice Program at De Sales University.  He also volunteers at the Bucks County Legal Aid Office as an attorney handling Protection from Abuse cases in court for victims of domestic violence and abuse.

Stephanie and Seth are married and live on a farm in Bucks County.

 Ask me about the scholarship opportunities at the Community Foundation

Holly Fitzpatrick, Grants Administrator
Lehigh Valley Community Foundation
840. W. Hamilton Street, Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18101
Holly@lvcfoundation.org