Linn County Supervisor Linda Langston has the privilege of awarding two college scholarships through her role as president of the National Association of Counties (NACo). She has chosen to award those scholarships to two Linn County students through a scholarship competition.
The scholarship recipients were selected based on a number of determinants, including GPA, acceptance by an institution of higher learning, documentation of leadership skills in school and/or community, and completion of a scholarship application form and essay. In the essay, the students were asked to describe their educational goals and philosophy, their personal achievement(s) they are most proud of, any challenges they have faced in life and how this scholarship will assist them in attaining their goals. While GPA scores were considered, recipients were not selected based simply on a high GPA. A five-person selection committee assisted in determining the scholarship recipients.
The first scholarship is the David Davenport Scholarship named after the donor and is a $2,500 award renewable for four years, for a total of $10,000. It was awarded to McKenna Kilburg, valedictorian at Lisbon High School. This scholarship was open to any student residing in Linn County.
“My mother has always told me, ‘Anyone can be average,’ so I have aspired to be much more than that,” McKenna wrote in her application. “The most important leadership role I have is leading others on a daily basis to live by the good-conduct policy and set an example for others.”
The second scholarship is the CH2M Hill Corporation Scholarship (an engineering company with offices in Des Moines), which is also a $2,500 award renewable for four years. It was available to any Linn County student with a parent who works for Linn County and was awarded to Collin Powell, son of Linn County Human Resources Director Lisa Powell. Collin is a senior at College Community.
“In my elementary and middle school years I faced bullying for such simple things as liking to read and not being in sports. From this experience, I learned to stand up for myself, have confidence in what I do, and think big,” Collin wrote in his application.
As part of their scholarship award, McKenna and Collin will receive a trip to New Orleans this summer where they will be officially presented with their scholarships at the National Association of Counties (NACo) meeting. They will be welcomed on stage and have the opportunity to speak in front of county officials from across the country. NACo is covering the cost of travel for the scholarship recipients and one parent each.
“The students who applied were outstanding! These scholarships were a real privilege to award and I am confident that the winners and all the applicants will be successful in their futures. These monetary awards will really make a difference to these students and their families,” Langston said.