Camille Voo ’26 and Imaan Ali ’26 didn’t have to worry about homesickness when coming to college thanks to a scholarship awarded to local students. The Lafayette-Easton Scholarship, awarded annually to graduates from Easton Area High School, provides Easton residents the opportunity to attend Lafayette. Voo and Ali were selected for this year’s award.
The scholarship has been awarded for the past four years as part of the college’s effort to dedicate more than $1 million dollars annually to students from Easton’s three zip codes that receive need-based aid, merit scholarships, athletic aid, tuition remission or other types of assistance. The scholarship was created as part of the college’s lawsuit settlement with College Hill residents who sought to block the construction of the McCartney Street Residents.
Voo moved to Easton from Kansas when she was in the second grade. Before coming to Lafayette, she got to know the school through events they hosted for the Easton community. However, she was not initially considering it as an option.
“Lafayette had a lot of activities. They hosted a lot of concerts with well-known musicians and I attended most of them,” Voo said.
Voo considered schools in the Northwest and in Japan, but she ultimately decided to attend Lafayette. She is on track to pursue studies in engineering.
Coming into Lafayette, Voo was worried that she would not be a good fit in the community. However, her arrival on campus proved otherwise.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to make friends or be immersed in the Lafayette community but once I arrived I felt welcome,” Voo said. “It’s a small college so you can reach out to professors and the professors are really nice. That’s something that only really small liberal arts colleges can do, not the big state schools.”
Though Voo lives off-campus, she still feels like she is a member of the community.
“I spend the whole day here and then sometimes I stay late here so it doesn’t feel like I’m commuting,” she said.
When reflecting on her education, Voo expressed gratitude towards her parents, who helped her get to where she is today.
“They were immigrants and they worked hard here to get a job and raise kids. They were both international students and I’m sure it was a tough situation for them. So I’m thankful that they gave me the opportunity to stay here and get an education from this country. I think it’s a really big deal,” Voo said.
Similar to Voo, Ali has lived in Easton for a good portion of her life. However, in her thirteen years in the area, she hadn’t set foot on Lafayette’s campus until being accepted.
“I always drove past College Hill. I always heard good things about Lafayette and I constantly met Lafayette students whether it be at my high school or at the mosque,” Ali wrote in an email.
Though Lafayette wasn’t her first choice, Ali described it as “the best decision.” She is currently pursuing studies in computer science and economics.
Despite Lafayette being so close to home, Ali chose to live on campus.
“It is nice to know that I can call my family or friends and be home within a matter of minutes,” she wrote. “It’s good because I still get to live on campus and experience what it is like living on my own while also knowing your family is minutes away.”
