2009 Scholarship Awards
7 September 2009
A highlight of this year's Reunion Banquet in Scottsdale, AZ was the presentation of the BERLIN Brats Reunion Scholarship Awards. These awards were the first of their kind for the BERLIN Brats Alumni Association and were deemed by those in attendance to be a raging success. The intent of the awards was to further the success of the BERLIN lineage.
Scholarship applications were emailed to the class contacts and posted on the BERLIN Brats Website (www.berlinbrats.org) this past Spring. The initial intent was to award a minimum of (3) $500 awards to be made available to the following persons:
· A BERLIN Brat and/or their dependents (children, grandchildren or spouse) and/or
· A BERLIN faculty member and/or their dependents (children, grandchildren or spouse)
Application forms were completed and submitted to the three-person BERLIN Brats Scholarship Committee (berlinbrats.scholarship@gmail.com). This committee consisted of Jim Branson '64, Billy Jordan '76 and Jenni (Hewitt) Shaw '85. In an attempt to make the evaluation process as bias free and as objective as possible, the committee reviewed each application package in its entirety multiple times and rated each package against an exhaustive set of evaluative criteria. Follow-up questions were submitted to the candidates if necessary and three outstanding packages rose to the top. There was however, one package that stood out from the rest and this package was awarded a larger portion of the scholarship total. Proceeds from the first ever Silent Auction, Raffle and various other donated items from the PX and private donations were used to fund the scholarships. The Scholarship Committee would like to thank Mr. Curtis Carter, parent of Betty Carter '72 and Mr. Billy Short '78 for their private donations to the fund.
The following students received the first three BERLIN Brats Reunion Scholarship Awards.
Marc Somers Bullock, son of Donna (Berry) Bullock '65
Marc's package was that of a student with clear career and educational goals with dual degrees, one obtained internationally. Having started working at the age of 14 and with an impressive resume already in his back pocket at the age 21, this student aims to be the best in the uber-competitive field of real estate. Marc's understanding of a BERLIN Brat as "a person who has made a connection, shared a memory or lived a moment in life with another person in a similar situation". He is the kind of person who will leave you with the feeling of "money well invested". For his outstanding application package, Marc received $764 from the BERLIN Brats Alumni Association Reunion Scholarship Award.
Jessica Bee, daughter of Kim (Graves) Bee '77 and granddaughter of Reunion attendee Betty
Jessica's package was the complete package. It was well thought out and you felt like you knew her personally when you were done reading her essay. Her philanthropic commitments to Relay for Life and the youth and the seniors of our society are commendable but what really touched us was she got it. She knows what it means to be a BERLIN Brat and as such she is an "ambassador" for the BERLIN Brats. We trust Jessica will use this scholarship to continue her education and the ROI will be triple-digits as she attains her dreams of becoming a brilliant research scientist at the CDC. For her poignant application package, Jessica received $573 from the BERLIN Brats Alumni Association Reunion Scholarship Award.
Nathan Lowe, son of Yoshika (Loftin) Lowe '83
Nathan's package was the fresh start package. The young freshman entering his first official year of college. Wide-eyed and full of anticipation, we believe in his dream of earning a medical degree and practicing Psychiatry and believe he fully understands the time, emotional and financial commitment that career path requires. His commitment to his church and furthering the beliefs of the youth of the church are paramount to the core of who Nathan Lowe is. His understanding of what a BERLIN Brat is "about never forgetting a special and proud time and place in our nation's history. It is about the love not only of the people but of the culture of BERLIN". For his exceptional application package, Nathan received $573 from the BERLIN Brats Alumni Association Reunion Scholarship Award.
The BERLIN Brats Scholarship Committee would like to thank all the applicants for their efforts and we wish each of them success in their future educational endeavors. Look for Scholarship Application packages on the website and/or from your class contact Spring 2012 for the next round of awards. Interested in donating privately, please contact us at berlinbrats.scholarship@gmail.com and we'll get you the information you need.
Jennifer Shaw '85
Co-Class Contact
Scholarship Committee Chairperson
if you have any additions/corrections/deletions. And ideas!