MARYSVILLE Local students received more than $60,000 in scholarship money from the Marysville Rotary on May 30 when checks were handed out to the best, brightest and most deserving kids.
The 34 high school seniors rewarded for their hard work and scholastic excellence come from several local schools, public and private, and all will continue their education at the college and university level.
The Rotary raised most of the scholarship money at its annual auction, giving awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to Marysville-area graduating seniors. The recipients were from all walks of life, from those life-long academic achievers to those just struggling to graduate, according to Rotary Education Foundation Chairman Chris Nation, who said the largess originally started with $7,000 in awards back in 1995.
Weve come a long way in 12 years, Nation told the crowd at the Tulalip Inn.
A huge boost was a $450,000 gift from the estate of Mildred Austin, a Marysville dairy farmer and bookkeeper who invested wisely and gave generously.
Mildred was a woman who grew to know the value of a dollar and the value of an education, Nation said.
Not only is raising the money a chore, but it takes a huge effort to find the students who deserve the awards. Three months are spent reviewing applications with emphasis on criteria such as academic success, financial need and how well students have served their community. Those efforts are all completely separate from the Rotary Pumpkin Patch witch buys dictionaries for students in the Lakewood, Arlington and Marysville school districts.
Its a challenging effort for the committee, Nation said.
For Ashley Kehler of Marysville-Pilchuck High School the $2,500 scholarship she got will go a long way to helping her fulfill her dream of being a special education teacher. She will be attending Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. this fall.
It means a lot and I can use all the help, Kehler said as she clutched the envelope holding her check. It was very generous for them to do that for us.
Here is a list of the scholarship winners and their plans:
Casandra Bachofer of Marysville Arts & Technology High School, who will attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, with the goal of becoming an art therapist working at Childrens Hospital in Seattle.
Natalie Bailey of M-PHS will attend Western Washington University but doesnt know what she will major in.
Nicole Banal, M-PHS, nursing at the University of Washington.
Nicholas Blum, M-PHS, Edmonds Community College, material science, nanotechnology.
Kyle Bottin, M-PHS, Everett Community College, baseball, then Central Washington University for criminal justice.
Brian Cian of Arts & Tech, UW, environmental science.
Andrea Cline, Grace Academy, will be a fifth-generation Cougar at WSU, where she will study nutrition.
Rebecca Corle, M-PHS, Everett CC and then WSU.
Laura Degerness, M-PHS, WWU, physical therapy.
Steven Edmonds, Lakewood High School, Brigham Young University, accounting.
Joseph Fridrich, M-PHS, Eastern Washington University, recreation management.
Francis Martin Bondoc Gudez, M-PHS.
Dane Hansen, M-PHS, WSU, engineering and business.
Kyle Hayton, Lakewood, UW, business.
Daniel Ingram, M-PHS.
Ashley Kehler, M-PHS, Grand Canyon University, special education.
Nicholas Larson, M-PHS.
Julianne Mack, M-PHS, WSU.
Kelvin Mansfield, Lakewood, UW, sports medicine.
Kristin Matheus, M-PHS, WWU, physical therapy.
Cynthia Meadows-Read, M-PHS, UW, business and finance.
Andrew Moore, M-PHS, Shoreline Community College, auto tech.
Nick Muller, Archbishop Murphy, St. Marys College, biology.
Nicole Peterson, M-PHS.
Victoria Raymond, M-PHS, BYU-Provo, nurse practitioner.
Shiann Sanchez, Marysville Mountain View HS, Everett CC, photography.
Natalie Spencer, Grace Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Mike Thurmond, M-PHS, CWU, horticulture and forestry.
Samantha Trua, MVHS, EWU, forensic science.
Sarah Waite, M-PHS, WWU, elementary psychology.
Ashley Wake, M-PHS, UW, international business.
Jason Webb, Lakewood, ITT Tech, computer aided drafting.
John Whitfield, M-PHS, Wartburg College, business.
Annastasia Wogsland, M-PHS.