Madison, WI UW Credit Union has chosen seven high school seniors to receive $2,000 college scholarships as part of its Community Values Scholarship program.
"Our scholarship program finds individuals who share our same commitment to bettering people's lives and our communities," said Jaimes Johnson, Director of Community & Campus Relations at UW Credit Union. "We're proud to recognize these amazing individuals for all they've accomplished."
The following seven individuals were selected:
Besma Aly, James Madison Memorial High School, tutored students who had great potential, but struggled academically.
Mariama Bester, Madison West High School, cooked and served meals at the Road Home Ministry.
Risharda Bond, Riverside University High School, planned an event through PEARLS for Teen Girls that raised money for homeless youth.
Cristian Claudio, Madison East High School, collected donations from Latino grocery stores for the River Food Pantry.
Michael Haas, Monona Grove High School, volunteered for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, moving homeless families weekly.
Aaliyah Rodgers, Milwaukee Rufus King High School, acted as mentor and friend to new freshmen as part of the Link Crew.
Jamie Truitt, De Forest High School, planned and recruited for community service activities as part of the LEO Club.
Recipients also had to be strong academic scholars with cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or greater, demonstrate financial need and attend any UW system school or Madison College in the fall of 2013. Students also wrote an essay about their community service work, sharing how it was meaningful to the community and to themselves.
"We found students who not only recognized a problem in their communities but were ready to step in to promote change," said Johnson. "The future looks bright due to the contributions of these talented individuals."
