by Cindy Calender
This is Cindy's presentation at the May Installation. Cindy, Suzy Walters and Anne McBride make up the Scholarship Committee. Their work makes us very proud.
Again, it is an honor for me to serve as a member of the 2010-2011 Scholarship Committee. And I would again like to thank everyone for the effort that has been put forth to raise money for this very worthwhile cause. While serving on this committee yields feelings of gratification, it also yields feelings of anguish and frustration. Anguish and frustration because there are so many deserving students in our community. You want to be able to do for all the students – but unfortunately, it is not possible. Consequently, 1 High School student and 1 College student were selected based on student achievement, extra-curricular activities, teacher recommendations, employer recommendations and their personal letter.
Pictured below left to right are Penny Johnson, Cindy Calender, Hayley Leonard, EHS Counselor Debbie Cogan, Suzy Walters, Hayley's Mother.
The recipient of the High School scholarship for the 2010-2011 school year is Hayley Leonard.
As you will soon see, she has been a very busy young lady while attending Elkins High School. She received the 2010 AP Scholars Award, is a member of the 2010-2011 Texas State Champion Constitutional Law Team, is an outstanding participant in the 2011 National Achievement Program, twice member of the Region 13 Philharmonic Orchestra, Student of the Month for January 2011, and a member of the National Honor Society, the National Science Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, and the EHS Orchestra. She also participates in many activities outside the school doors – at her church, with the DIVAS dance team and volunteering at the Houston Zoo during the summers. One of her teachers said “Hayley is both diligent and imaginative, which is an unusual combination. She creates innovative pathways to solve problems and then perseveres to their solution. Most important is that Hayley is an excellent self starter.” Her current plans are to attend either Yale University or Princeton University and major in Economics. Then she plans on becoming a Dentist and pursue becoming a Cosmetic Dentist. She said “I believe that a simple smile can make an impact on a person’s self esteem and confidence.” As of January, Hailey was ranked 11th in her class of 556 students.
With all this, I now present Hayley Leonard.
***She later decided on Baylor
Our college scholarship recipient is Lauren Garcia from Texas A & M.
Lauren has been active with the field of horticulture since before high school . Her short-term goal is to graduate Summa Cum Laude in May, 2013 with two Bachelor degrees – one in Horticulture and one Landscape Architecture plus a minor in Business and Urban Planning. She then plans on going to a premier university for Masters Studies, preferable the Longwood Graduate Program. One of her goals is to gain an administrative career within a botanical garden or arboretum. She wants to develop education programs that breach the gap between nature and the general public as well as design garden displays that allow escape from the stresses of urban life. At some point she would like to pursue her Ph.D. in order to become a professor and inspire future generations to enjoy horticulture. Currently she is the VP of TAMU Horticulture Club, an active member of the student branch of American Society of Landscape Architects, and has competed in the Southern Region and National American Society of Horticultural Sciences competitions. She is a member of three honor societies and has received the Who’s Who among Collegiate Students award. Lauren has also sought out and participated in two Study Abroad courses, one in Guatemala and one in Costa Rica. One of her professors said “She knows what she wants to do professionally in the future and she has prepared herself for the type of work she loves. This is a sign of maturity that we don’t see in all students at this point in their college career.”
Lauren wanted to be here to thank us, but she flew out Tuesday to South Carolina for her summer internship program. She is hoping to attend one of Fall meetings.
Since Lauren was unable to attend, we do not have a photo of her.
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