Kenna Armstrong from Oquawka, Haley Nieuwkoop from Manito, Sophia Roth from New Berlin, and Lauren Stidham from Jacksonville won $3000 scholarships for the 2020-2021 academic year from Rotary District 6460. As a member of the District Scholarship Committee, I helped review applications from college students from west-central Illinois or attending college in the area and select finalists for interviews. On July 11, we interviewed the finalists in Jacksonville and selected the four scholarship recipients based on the overall strength of the application packet and interview.
Kenna Armstrong of Oquawka, graduated from West Central High School in Biggsville in 2018 and is a student at Culver Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. Her major is history education. She is interested in teaching history and pursuing a master’s degree in global studies in education. She ultimately would like to teach internationally.
Haley Nieuwkoop is the daughter of Jack and Julie Nieuwkoop. She graduated from Midwest Central High School in Manito in 2019 and is a student at Illinois College in Jacksonville. Her major is elementary education with a specialty in reading. She enjoys integrating agriculture in her teaching and plans to return to the Manito area to teach at the elementary level. 
Sophia Roth of New Berlin, graduated from Springfield High School in 2018 and is the daughter of Stephan and Melissa Roth. She is a student at Illinois College in Jacksonville. She is working on a bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration in physiology. She plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy and become a physical therapist.
Lauren Stidham of Jacksonville, graduated from Jacksonville High School in 2019 and is a student at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Her major is business systems analytics and economics. She hopes to use her bachelor’s degree in business administration to work for a nonprofit that helps others.I enjoy serving on the District Scholarship Committee and helping these young college students support their education and career goals. It is important to recognize that the monies Rotarians in our District donate to the Rotary International Annual Fund come back to us three years later and help us support District scholarships and grants. Each year, Rotary International invests the donations from our District and other districts for three years, and at the end of that three year period, they split the monies between the World Fund and District Designated Fund. I hope that we will be able to award more scholarships in the future, but to do that we all need to contribute to the Annual Fund.