The scholarships are awarded in increments of $500 per semester for up to two years. In order to receive the third and fourth installments of the scholarship, a student must earn a minimum of 24 credits in his or her sophomore year and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.2.

This year’s recipients of the Hall Opportunity Awards are:

Svetlana Kantor of Harrisburg, who is attending Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Amanda Salas, Wynter Malique Randall, Tanessa Rosalie Moten and Nicola Tarita Brown, all of Harrisburg, and Bradford Lewis Powell of Carlisle, all of whom are attending Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania; and Damien A. Hallman of Steelton and Leilani K. LaBrie of Mechanicsburg, both of whom are attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Also, Elijah Long of Harrisburg, who is attending West Chester University of Pennsylvania; and Courtenay Quentin Long of Carlisle, who is enrolled at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

The Hall Foundation Excellence Scholarships are designed to recognize academic excellence among students in the Harrisburg area, and to encourage and support the increased participation of these students in higher education at the universities of the State System of Higher Education.

The scholarships also will be awarded in increments of $500 per semester for up to two years. In order to remain eligible for the final two installments, a recipient must earn at least 24 credits in his or her freshman year and maintain a GPA of at least 2.75.

This year’s scholarship recipients are:

Jamie Doreen Spencer and Jewel Marie Vargas, both of Harrisburg, Patrick Michael Blanch of Highspire and James George Lamb Jr. of Enola, all of whom will attend Millersville University of Pennsylvania; Jenny Rebekah McCaghren of Oberlin, Jacqueline Ann Garrison of Hershey and Tabitha Marie Shope of Palmyra, all of whom will attend Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania; Tiffany Michelle Peterson of Mechanicsburg and Atiya Qaadira Williams of Steelton, both of whom will attend West Chester University of Pennsylvania; and Erin Elizabeth Gattens of Hershey, who will attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The Hall Foundation is a philanthropic organization founded in 1952 by former trucking magnate John Hall. It annually awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to students from south central Pennsylvania. Since its inception, the foundation has provided more than $5 million in scholarships and other charitable grants.

The State System of Higher Education comprises 14 universities throughout the Commonwealth, and is the largest provider of higher education in the state. One of every 29 Pennsylvanians is attending or is a graduate of a System university. The State System is the 17^th largest employer in the state, with more than 11,700 employees.

The 14 state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers.