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SCRANTON — The Scranton District Dental Society (SDDS) announced the selections of Maria Genello as the 2015 recipient of the Dr. Todd M. Angelo Memorial Scholarship and Jessica Hatala as the 2015 recipient of the Dr. Bernard Shair Award.
The Dr. Todd M. Angelo Memorial Scholarship is a cash gift funded by the SDDS, The Scranton Area Foundation, and private donations in memory of Dr. Todd Angelo who suddenly passed away in November 2011. The scholarship is administered by the Scranton Area Foundation and presented to a University of Scranton student who has been accepted by a dental school and who shows tremendous promise in the field of dentistry.
The Ben Shair Award is a cash gift funded by the SDDS and an endowment fund founded by the family of Dr. Bernard Shair, who passed away in 1982 and administered by the Scranton Area Foundation. It is presented to a University of Scranton student who has been accepted by a dental school and shows tremendous promise in the field of dentistry.
Genello attended The University of Scranton on the Dean’s Scholarship and graduated summa cum laude in Dec. 2014 with a degree in Biology. She will attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in fall 2015.
She resides in Scranton with her parents Attorney and Michael Genello and Mary Genello. While at The University of Scranton, she was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society Alpha Sigma Nu, and the University’s Health Professions Organization. She also played a part in the Faculty/Student Mentorship Program and served as a teaching assistant for the comparative Vertebrate Anatomy lab.
After working at the law office of Murphy, Genello, and Murphy for three years, Genello began working at Allied Services Skilled Nursing Center as a Recreational Therapy Aide and will remain there until she leaves for dental school. She also volunteers at her parish, St. Patrick’s, teaching catechism to third graders, collecting supplies for the food pantry, assisting at holiday parties, and organizing events.
Hatala will graduate from The University of Scranton in May with a biology degree. She will attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in the fall of 2015.
Hatala resides in Dickson City with her parents John and Barbara Hatala. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships from the University of Scranton including the Betty Redington Scholarship, Monsignor Bilski Scholarship, Loyola Scholarship, Shander Scholarship, Purple Club Scholarship, and the James F. Swift Scholarship. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Beta Beta Beta National Biology Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta National Health Pre-Professional Honor Society, and Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society.
Hatala’s volunteer service includes working at the Leahy Community Health and Family Center for the last three years, volunteering over 280 hours. She also gives her time at her church, Saint Andrew’s Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and served as a Teaching Assistant for the Microbiology Lab at the University of Scranton. She currently work with Doctors Kenneth G. Miller and Dr. Jeffrey Lin at Pinnacle Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery associates as a dental assistant.