Murrysville resident awarded first We Are Franklin Regional scholarship

PITTSBURGH — The We Are FR Scholarship Fund, a shared community response to an April 2014 school violence incident at Franklin Regional High School, has made its first award. Abigail Lynch of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, who graduated from Franklin Regional High School in 2016, was awarded $1,000 toward her education at Pennsylvania State University where she is studying food science. The We Are FR Scholarship Fund of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (CFWC) was created to benefit graduating seniors from Franklin Regional High School with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, financial need and a demonstrated a commitment to community service.

To keep the process fair and open, a committee of six community leaders evaluated more than 20 scholarship applications in which the identities of the applicants were not revealed.

Lynch is known for her academics, athletics and service. She was awarded highest honors with distinction, attended Westinghouse Science Honors Institute, was named a National Merit commended student and in 2013 and 2015 was youth ambassador to the National Catholic Youth Conference. She also has varsity letters in track and volleyball, held part-time jobs and volunteer positions throughout high school, and was involved in dozens of service projects and clubs.

In her essay, Lynch stated her belief that service is the driving force behind any successful community. “My time as part of the Franklin Regional community certainly prepared me for this journey, both academically and socially, and I hope to make my alma mater proud with the work I do here and in my future career in food science,” she says regarding her scholarship award.

History of the We Are FR Scholarship Fund: After an April 2014 school violence incident at Franklin Regional High School in which 20 students and one adult were injured, more than $130,000 in donations poured in from the community. Those donations were initially deposited in a fund at S&T Bank, and a large portion of those funds were used to cover medical and travel expenses for families of students injured in the incident and to fund crisis counseling and other mental health needs for students and faculty in the district. A portion of the remaining funds − $34,032 − was utilized to create a permanent scholarship fund at the Community Foundation. The We Are FR Scholarship Fund will grow in perpetuity as a result of investment income and continued donations from the community. To make a donation to the Fund, please click here. Click here for scholarship application details.