Three Osborne students earn scholarship awards
OSBORNE, Kan.- Sunflower Bank awarded three scholarships to Landon Wolters, Hannah Thibault and Kellen Long at the close of the bank’s first annual Community Ambassadors program.
Wolters, Thibault, and Long 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.
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 3-to-4 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 Jim Eilert, president of Sunflower Bank Osborne. “We hope the seminars help paint Osborne 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 Osborne High. Wolters, the grand-prize $1000 scholarship winner, will attend Kansas State in the fall to pursue a career in optometry. Thibault will attend Kansas State with eyes on a major in psychology and a career in counseling. Long will attend Sterling College and major in business.
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.
*Caption:* Jim Eilert, right, awards the $1000 scholarship to Landon Wolters.