Three Ellis County students earn scholarships
HAYS, Kan. – Sunflower Bank awarded three scholarships to Cameron Werth, Kevin Sander and Julie Schmeidler at the close of the bank’s first annual Community Ambassadors program.
Werth, Sander and Schmeidler received $1000, $500, and $250 scholarships, respectively, in part for a contemplative essay during the program and also for stellar academic and scholastic achievement throughout the year.
Eight other area students completed the Community Ambassadors program and were recognized at Wednesday’s graduation ceremony. Jenna Braun, Keith Hammerschmidt, Michelle Hansen, Megan Hopp, Anne Houston, Jayne Jansonius, Andrew Moore and Nicole Rohleder rounded out the program’s inaugural class.
Sunflower Bank’s Community Ambassadors scholarship program is designed to encourage young people to consider their hometown community as a viable place to live and work after completing their higher education, and to help foster entrepreneurship and financial responsibility among youth leaders.
The select high school seniors attended 2-hour sessions once a month for seven months. Session topics included financial basics, local government, economic development, and business leadership.
“We’re extremely proud of all our Community Ambassadors and hope we’ve given them an insight into the importance of their home community,” said Dale Gottschalk, president of Sunflower Bank Hays. “We hope the seminars help paint Hays not only as their hometown – but also a future destination.”
Sunflower Bank’s Community Ambassadors Scholarship Program provides three scholarships given locally within a Community Ambassadors class – a $1,000 scholarship, a $500 scholarship and a $250 scholarship. In addition, three additional $1000 scholarship recipients will be selected from the pool of all communities’ scholarship applicants.
All three scholarship winners attend Thomas More Prep-Marian. Werth, the grand-prize $1000 scholarship winner, will attend Fort Hays State in the fall to major in accounting. Sander is undecided on his college choice but will pursue degrees in accounting and finance. Schmeidler’s college choice is between Newman University (Wichita) and the University of Tulsa, and she will pursue a career in elementary education.
Sunflower Bank is now accepting applications for the next class of Community Ambassadors, which will begin this fall. Applications will be accepted until Monday, May 31, 2007. Program membership will be limited to a small group and applicants will be evaluated on current class work, community activities, and a series of short essay questions. The scholarships will again be awarded based on effort, participation, and work completed during the Community Ambassador program.
