Congratulations to Elaine Rosonke from New Hampton High School! Elaine was involved in several extracurriculars and committees throughout high school, including but not limited to volleyball, basketball, softball, FFA, Dollars for Scholars, National Honor Society, Student Senate, and Interact. Her post-graduation plans include attending Iowa State University, studying in Marketing with a possible double major in Event Management, and earning her Sales Certificate.
Congratulations to Blake Behrens from Linn-Mar High School! He was a dedicated member of the Linn-mar swim team, in addition to his involvement in Students Opposed to Drugs and Alcohol (SODA) and Teens Reading Youth Program. He received a Scholastic Senior Award for his GPA, his ACT score, and his placement at the state meet. He plans to attend Iowa State University and hopes to become a swim coach in the near future.
Congratulations to Grant Anderson from Central Lee High School! In high school, he excelled in Cross Country, serving as team captain and earning the Cross-Country Male Athlete of the Year award. Grant also dedicated his time to community service, volunteering at a boys’ camp to instill character, leadership, and service values. He also contributed to the Elliot Test Kitchen History Camp, educating local children about their community’s history. Grant plans to attend Cornell College to study Secondary Education and History.
Congratulations to Addisyn Bunge from Prairie High School! In school, she was a member of both the Science National Honor Society and the German National Honor Society, while managing to set aside time to work her part-time job on an alpaca farm. Addisyn plans to attend Iowa State University and major in Animal Ecology, and from there, she hopes to pursue a career in wildlife biology, researching and working hands-on with animals.
Congratulations to Michael Graber from Thomas Jefferson High School! In high school, he played football for three years and baseball for two. He worked a part-time job at the Kirkwood Reception and Banquet Center to prepare for his culinary career. During his Junior year, he was accepted into the Culinary Arts Program at Kirkwood Community College, where he is currently studying. After graduating, he plans to attend higher-level cooking courses and eventually open up his own restaurant.
NDIA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) Scholarship
For Academic Year 2022-2023
The Iowa/Illinois NDIA Chapter teams with the Quad Cities Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) to leverage QCESC’s existing scholarship selection/award process for STEM type students. This partnership allows the Chapter to maintain its existing broad non-curriculum specific scholarship award process while sponsoring, through QCESC, a scholarship directly targeted to a student pursuing a STEM career. Promotion and strengthening of STEM in the workforce is considered a National Security issue and a focus area of NDIA. The recipient this year of the NDIA sponsored STEM scholarship is Ainsely Reed.
Congratulations to Ainsley Reed! She is a Senior at Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling, IL. Ainsley is ranked first in her class with a 4.5 GPA! She earned a 35 on her ACT, even scoring a 36 on the STEM section of the test. Ainsley is a member of the Math team, Science Club, Key Club, Knitters Club, and National Honor Society. When she’s not busy shadowing engineers at Wahl Clipper Headquarters or volunteering at the Sauk Valley Foodbank, you can catch her thrifting for some new clothes or playing poker with her close friends.