The Mattoon High School Alumni Scholarship Fund, established in 2010, awarded four scholarships this year to the following MHS graduates:
Stacey Hildebrand received a $1,000 scholarship to attend Eastern Illinois University. Stacey plans to further her education in art therapy. This scholarship is made in honor of the Florence Parker Fund, a donor-advised fund managed by the Mattoon Area Community Foundation that provided a challenge match to the MHS Alumni scholarship committee that resulted in a gift of $10,000 to the scholarship fund.
Lacey Solomon received a $1,000 scholarship to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Lacey plans to further her education biological sciences in the pre-medicine program.
Orville Utsler III received a $500 scholarship to attend Lake Land College. Orville plans to transfer to a four year university to pursue a career in agriculture. This scholarship is made in honor of the Helen K. Janssen Family.
Stephen Dyer received a $500 scholarship to attend Universal Technical Institute. Stephen will be studying automotive technology.
According to David Janssen, co-founder of the MHS Alumni Scholarship Fund, “We were able to increase the number of awards this year because of the generosity of alumni families and friends of Mattoon High School. Our long term goal is to eventually receive donations from every alumni class or at least have a donation from individuals representing every MHS class from 1945 to 2013. Our fundraising goal is to increase our endowment by $10,000 in 2013. If we meet our goal we would be able to award five scholarships next year.”
For more information about the Mattoon High School Alumni Scholarship Fund or the Mattoon Area Community Foundation, contact Joedy Hightower, at 217-235-2500.
