The auditorium was filled with about 300 people, mostly family and friends of the 108 high school seniors from Middletown, Middletown Christian, Monroe, Madison, Fenwick, Franklin, Edgewood and Marshall high schools there to accept their scholarships from the MCF. The foundation awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships.
“Local donors helping local kids,” Sarah K. Nathan, executive director of the foundation, told the Journal-News before the awards ceremony.
Later, she talked about the selection process and how the students performed during their interviews with the scholarship committee.
“These young people represented their families, their schools and themselves with a great deal of class,” she said.
Dustin Hurley, chair of the MCF board of trustees, said throughout the students’ education journey, they will be closely followed by those who funded the scholarships, some in memory of relatives.
“That’s what community is,” he said.
At the back of the auditorium sat Dorothy Shuemake. She was holding a piece of paper with the pictures of two Marshall High School students, Judah Davis and Grace Booher.
They each were awarded the $1,000 Alison “Allie” Shuemake Memorial Scholarship, named after the 18-year-old Marshall graduate who died of an opioid overdose in August 2015.
“We miss her and we want to keep her memory alive,” Shuemake said when asked why the scholarship is important. “We just want to encourage more students and their families.”
Booher will be majoring in education and hopes to be the person who “shapes children and builds their confidence” to pursue their dreams too, according to the foundation.
Davis, who served on MCF’s Youth Council Committee, is considering criminal justice and psychology because she wants to learn how to help people become “better versions of themselves,” the MCF said.
The most valuable scholarships, named in memory of Louie F. Cox, were awarded to Natierra “Tyra” Simms, a Monroe High School senior, and Josh Mumford, a Middletown High School senior. They each will receive $20,000 over four years.
The scholarship is named in memory of Cox, a former AK Steel employee and longtime leader in the Middletown community. He was president of the Middletown-area unit of the NAACP.
Each year, the scholarship recognizes two exceptional Black students from Butler or Warren counties whose dedication to service and leadership reflects Cox’s legacy, according to the MCF. The scholarship is funded by Cleveland-Cliffs.
Simms is graduating second in her class from Monroe and will be attending University of Kentucky to pursue a career in pediatric nursing. She played three seasons of basketball, served as vice president of the Environmental Club, participated in the Monroe Abstinence Society including a year as president, was an active member of the National Honor Society, and founded the Multicultural Club.
Mumford will be attending Cornell University to pursue computer engineering. He played varsity tennis, wrestled. and was on the Quiz Team for two years. He also participated in the National Honors Society, the Marching Band, and Hope Squad.
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