Students receive $3,000 scholarship based on service

By Rachel J. Trotter

Standard-Examiner correspondent

Wed, 04/18/2012 - 8:36pm

Images

Sydney Tanner, of Weber High School, accepts a scholarship to Weber State University from the Ogden Rotary Club at the Ogden Marriott on Wednesday. Seven high school students were awarded a $3,000 scholarship. (ERIN HOOLEY/Standard-Examiner)

Dallin Allred, of Roy High School, accepts a scholarship to Weber State University from the Ogden Rotary Club at the Ogden Marriott on Wednesday. (ERIN HOOLEY/Standard-Examiner)

Madison Burton, of Bonneville High School, accepts a scholarship to Weber State University from the Ogden Rotary Club at the Ogden Marriott on Wednesday. (ERIN HOOLEY/Standard-Examiner)

OGDEN — Nine high school seniors and one current Weber State University student are learning the value of service.

The Rotary Club of Ogden presented each of the students with a $3,000 scholarship.

Seven of the scholarships were paid through the Stewart Education Foundation at Weber State University, and three were from the Rotary Club of Ogden Foundation and its members.

The students and their families were honored at a luncheon Thursday.

Rotary member Cal Welling oversaw the committee, with five other Rotarians, that determined the scholarship recipients, based on their service accomplishments rather than academics or extracurricular activities.

Welling’s committee established a grid and awarded the scholarships according to the merits of each student’s service. He said he was impressed with all of the candidates and wished they all could have received scholarships.

“The future of our country is very bright, if this is a sample,” Welling said.

Ogden Rotary President Brent Parkin said the group has been providing scholarships for 25 years, using service as the basis for the awards.

Students had to provide an essay explaining what service means to them, a listing of their service completed and at least two letters of recommendation, along with the scholarship application.

Although academics weren’t taken into account, many of the students had high grade-point averages as well, Parkin said.

The scholarship winners participated in a wide variety of service areas.

One student volunteered more than 2,000 hours at camps with the Boy Scouts of America, while another organized a bracelet-making drive for children in Africa.

Other services included volunteering with special-needs children, senior citizens and individual cities’ youth councils and beautification committees.

As the scholarship recipients were honored, details of their service achievements were read.

Ogden High School senior Andrew Crookston said the skills he gained by performing the service were invaluable and uses them in his everyday life.

Dean Hurst, a member of the Stewart Education Foundation, said he was proud to be a part of the process.

“It boggles me to learn how these youths incorporate service into their lives ... when they do so many things,” he said.

Hurst was impressed by the high grade-point averages many of the students have and the fact that they still log hours and hours of service.

He said he feels privileged to carry on the tradition started by Elizabeth Stewart, who founded the Stewart Education Foundation with her husband, to award deserving students with opportunities for growth.

Crookston said receiving the award was a great honor.

“It’s nice to be recognized for service and not have it weighted with a GPA or ACT score.”

Fellow senior and scholarship recipient Ali Morby agrees.

“I don’t always have the greatest academics, so it’s nice to be able to get a scholarship for service,” she said.

Weber High School senior Sydney Tanner said she has enjoyed serving just so she could stay busy in her life. Getting the scholarship has been an honor as well, she said.

Parkin expressed the feelings of many at Thursday’s event.

“This is such an amazing group of humanitarians. Hopefully, we will see them back as Rotarians.”