Valley students earn scholarships
Sunflower Bank awarded scholarships to Bijah Gibson, Katherine Adams and Matthew Morgan at the close of the bank’s first annual Community Ambassadors program.
Gibson, Adams and Morgan 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.
Brandon Thomas Cleghorn and Michaela Kaiser also completed the Community Ambassadors program and were recognized at the graduation ceremony on April 24.
Sunflower Bank’s Community Ambassadors 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 each month throughout the school year. 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 Linda Hagedorn, president of Sunflower Bank Monte Vista. “We hope the seminars help paint the San Luis Valley not only as their home base – but also a future destination.”
The 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.
Gibson, the grand-prize $1000 scholarship winner, is a senior at Sargent High. He will attend Colorado State in the fall and pursue a career in journalism. Adams, also from Sargent High, is undecided on her college, while Morgan, a senior at Sargent, will attend Adams State.
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.
