The Council’s 2021 scholarship recipients at our online reception in early June.
Their goals are lofty and exciting, ranging from physical and musical therapy to teaching and nursing.
Ten outstanding scholarship recipients were honored during a virtual celebration on Thursday, June 3. Each student will receive a $2,000 scholarship to support their continuing education.
“I am looking forward to what the future holds,” Saree Behm said during the presentation. “And I am thankful for this support.”
The scholarships are open to any Wisconsin high school or college student who has vision loss and plans to further their education. The Council is grateful to have these scholarships supported by the Preiss Fund, established through a generous gift from the Preiss, Johnson and Nelson families. Thanks also to Associated Bank and NeuGen for sponsoring the 2021 event.
“Your courage shines through in every application,” CEO/Executive Director Denise Jess said. “As you continue forward, stay courageous! It gives all of us hope.”
The scholarship program started about 30 years ago, and since then, hundreds of students have received thousands of dollars to achieve their goals.
“We probably all know what it’s like to doubt ourselves,” Kaitlyn Hippe said. “So, receiving this scholarship is big.”
Here is the list of the scholarship recipients:
- Saree Behm of Janesville is attending UW-Whitewater with a major in early childhood special education and plans to be a teacher.
- Grace Caine from Lowell attends UW-Whitewater and is majoring in instrumental music education. She wants to be a band director.
- Lindsey Fritz of Madison is attending Madison College for nursing and plans to be a nurse practitioner.
- Kaitlyn Hippe is from Milwaukee and attending Calvin University with majors in Chinese and Spanish. She plans to be an interpreter.
- Brandon Klas of Cedarburg attends UW-Whitewater for business entrepreneurship. He wants to be in management or operations of a car-related business.
- Luka Santin is from Madison and attends Lawrence University with a jazz and contemporary improvisation major. They want to work as a certified music therapist.
- Elizabeth (Ellie) Thompson of Madison will attend Madison College in the fall and plans to major in education with a specialty of vision impairment. She wants to work in special education.
- George Tuttle is from Drummond and attends Carroll University with a major in healthcare administration. His plans include becoming a doctor with an emphasis on physical therapist.
- Joseph Tuttle of Drummond is attending Purdue University with a major in agriculture education and wants to be a high school agriculture or biology teacher.
- Shayna Wederath is from Clintonville and will attend UW-Stevens Point in the fall with a major in psychology and plans to work in rehabilitation therapy.
“Thank you, thank you,” Shayna Wederath said. “You are giving all of us the chance to have a great future.”
Watch for upcoming articles highlighting each of the recipients. You can also view the entire scholarship celebration on the Council’s YouTube channel.
