CEDAR CITY – While many factors can affect students entering colleges and universities, the lack of funds is a major challenge for many to overcome. Thanks to community efforts, eight women were awarded more than $6,000 in scholarship money from Cedar City’s Women in Business to further their education in Iron County.
“This year, Women in Business decided to increase the number of awarded scholarships, helping local women pursue college degrees and education,” Tami Shugart, Women In Business scholarship chair, said. “These scholarships are possible to award due to the overwhelming generosity of our community who supported our annual fundraising efforts at the Pumpkin Festival and Women’s Expo.”
Scholarships are awarded annually to high school graduating seniors and nontraditional female students who are age 25 or older and returning to a college, university or trade school after a minimum of a three-year break. This year, women were asked to fill out their application by April 1 to be considered for this opportunity.
Each of the recipients presented an application along with an essay on how the funds would help them further their education. Each one of these women has a unique educational goal in mind. The non-traditional scholarship recipients were Gaelynn Breinholt, Aimee Brown, Maycie Fox and Karen Russell.
Brown received the second-highest scholarship of $1,000, and Fox and Russell both received $500 scholarships.
Fox plans to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree in human nutrition, and pursue a career as a diabetic nutritionist. She has had diabetes since she was 4 years old and said she wants to help people with diabetes learn to control the disease at a diabetes clinic or hospital. She feels she could succeed in a hospital setting helping newly diagnosed diabetics understand how to maintain the disease and be healthy. This scholarship will help cover some of the tuition expenses that her financial aid doesn’t cover.
Women in Business also awarded scholarships to four local high school graduates, with the top scholarship award of $1,500 going to Miranda Komarek from Cedar High School.
“I am very honored to receive a scholarship from WIB to help fund my education,” Komarek said. “My future plans and goals include doing an internship in Jackson Hole this summer working in a preschool, then going to SUU to achieve a degree in elementary education and eventually being an elementary school teacher.”
High school students Madeline Townsend, Whitney Mitchell and Jayley Packwood also received scholarships.
Townsend, from Parowan High School, will be using $1,000 to attend SUU this fall.
“I have always loved to learn,” Townsend said. “I know that it is the key to efficient and focused service. This scholarship will directly help my education dreams come true.”
Mitchell, from Canyon View High School, will be using her scholarship of $500 to attend SUU this autumn to pursue a degree in visual arts.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity to receive this scholarship,” Mitchell said. ” … I am so excited and thrilled to go to college this year, and this scholarship will truly help me experience college to its fullest!”
Finally, Packwood, from Parowan High School, will use her $500 scholarship to pursue a career in nursing. She said, “I will be attending Southern Utah University this fall, and I am grateful for the scholarship I received from the women in business organization.”
Women in Business is an arm of the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce dedicated to raising scholarship funds for women and providing educational and network opportunities for women in Iron County. Women in Business holds a monthly luncheon on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at Stonehaven Events Center. New members are welcome; visit the websites below.
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
Madeline Townsend, Women in Business scholarship recipient 2015 | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, St. George News
Miranda Komarek, Women in Business scholarship recipient 2015 | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, St. George News
Whitney Mitchell, Women in Business scholarship recipient 2015 | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, St. George News
Jayley Packwood, recipient of a Women in Business scholarship, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Deniece Allred, St. George News
Maycie Fox, Women in Business scholarship recipient 2015 | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Chamber of Commerce, St. George News
Resources
Related posts
- Home builders association awards $14,000 in Scholarships
- AAUW bestows ‘Distinguished Woman of the Year’ award on Ivins woman, awards 13 scholarships
- St. George AAUW awards 13 scholarships
- AAUW helps young women reach potential, awards $16,000 in scholarships
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews