2023 Scholarship Recipients
The Waukee Community Schools Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of our 2023 Foundation Scholarship Program. Ten students in the Class of 2023 received $1,000 each, for a total Foundation investment of $10,000. The Foundation Scholarship Program is one of the largest scholarship programs available to Waukee Community School District students.
This year’s recipients are: Kira Canada, Gabe Carter, Alba Diaz, Greeshma Joseph, Mallory Kell, Parker Lambert, Sonia Patil, Carlos Rios, Sophia Stewart, and Isabella Webb. All students were nominated by a WCSD employee and then invited for an in-person interview with our Scholarship Committee, comprised of board members and community representatives. “We sincerely appreciate all of the Waukee educators who took time to nominate students this year,” said Adrianne Towe, Executive Director of the Foundation. “Educators are really in the best position to identify students who need this scholarship and fit our criteria. We focus on the positive impact that a student makes, not grades. We are interested in character and classroom engagement as the primary qualifiers for our scholarship.”
Our Scholarship Committee wishes to thank all of this year’s nominators and nominees, and wanted to share a bit about this year’s recipients from their nomination forms.
Kira Canada: “Kira shows great care for her academics, she comes in before and after school to ask questions about curriculum materials. She takes initiative to reach out to set up meetings and communicates her needs.” - Alyssa Amundson, nominator.
Gabe Carter: “Gabe is looked to as a leader in our school. Through his involvement and leadership, he has facilitated a number of successful school and community events.” - Erica Beals, nominator.
Alba Diaz: “Alba is a driven and dedicated student in my Exploration of Health Sciences class at APEX. Her work ethic in my class to explore the careers she was interested in was above and beyond her peers.” - Anne Boesen, nominator.
Greeshma Joseph: “Greeshma has displayed incredible leadership and musicianship throughout her time at Waukee High School. She has always been reliable, thoughtful, insightful, and carried out her duties with precision and care. She works well with others and leads by example, and the band program will miss having her around!” - Rishi Kolusu, nominator.
Mallory Kell: “While having high academic standards and also achieving so much as an athlete she still takes time out of her day to give back to her community. She gives swim lessons to elementary aged Waukee students and teaches them the skills they need to be safe and efficient in the water.” - Shelley Twigg, nominator.
Parker Lambert: “He is involved in the Intro to Education program and has been traveling to different Waukee Schools and working with numerous students in their secondary theater classes. I can tell from his excitement and passion of teaching Waukee students that Parker will be an inspiring and valuable educator.” - Tara Rechkemmer, nominator.
Sona Patil: “Sonia has made a remarkable impact on the Waukee Band program. Sonia has embodied the ideals of servant leadership and superior musicianship. She leads by example and leaves places better than they were when she found them.” - Rishi Kolusu, nominator.
Carlos Rios: “Carlos is one of the kindest and most positive students I've met. He always has a smile on his face - and that's a win in itself. He is a bright student, very connected socially, and honestly just so kind.” - Molly Watkins, nominator.
Sophia Stewart: “Sophia is one of the most dedicated students in her class. She is going to make an excellent doctor not only due to her dedication and value in doing things right, but because she is very empathetic, compassionate, and will make her patients feel so cared for.” - Molly Watkins, nominator.
Isabella Webb: “Bella is incredibly determined to do her best, so she works hard to not only achieve, but to learn. Bella is intrinsically motivated to do well, which is something difficult to teach; Bella possesses this motivation on her own and exemplifies this in every action.” - Megan Lenstra, nominator.