The Longbranch Foundation Scholarship Program for 2020 includes three scholarships to deserving Peninsula High graduates (two academic and one vocational). Those students were recognized in last month’s newsletter. In addition, the Longbranch Foundation has continued its commitment to support qualified previous scholarship recipients as they pursue their post-high school studies.
In total the Foundation gave $9,000 to students. Money for the scholarships comes from our biennial auctions and our Celebrate Campaign.
Last year’s scholarship recipient was Emily Ehrhardt. Her letter to the scholarship committee requesting renewal of her scholarship follows;
I am currently attending Tacoma Community College and working towards earning my Associates degree. I have completed one quarter and earned a 3.8 GPA and am looking to hold that GPA through this next quarter. I have been asked to be apart of the honor society, but due to the virus we haven’t had the meeting for it yet. This quarter I finished my finals a week early in order to go to camp with the 5th graders from Evergreen Elementary. I was in charge of finding all of the counselors and finishing college a week early was challenging, but worth it. I have also been awarded the position of an adult leader for middle school youth group at Believers Fellowship and continue to volunteer for After Ours at Evergreen as well. My first quarter at TCC was also filled with rehearsals for the Christmas Play production put on by Wellspring Fellowship. In addition to my volunteer hours I also work at Camp Colman after school, and fill in as the Nursery Attendant at Wellspring Fellowship on some weekends. After TCC I am looking into pursuing social work with CPS and helping kids as a full-time career, I am hoping to continue my education after TCC at Gonzaga University.
Thank you for the consideration in renewing my scholarship, Emily Ehrhardt
The Longbranch Foundation Scholarship Committee has recommended the renewal of the scholarships of three outstanding students who continue to excel in the pursuit of their studies. One of those students is Mikayla Hoover, who has married and changed her name to Maniatopoulos. Her application follows:
Hello Don and the Longbranch Foundation Scholarship Committee,
I am writing to share with you the progress that I’ve made since our last correspondence as well as request a renewal for the scholarship that you have graciously given me. I will be finishing my Senior year at Washington State University in the fall semester in my pursuit of a bachelor’s in Accounting and French for the Professions. You will be pleased to hear that I hold a 3.88 GPA for both of my majors and with WSU in general. After graduation, I hope to use my degrees as a Certified Public Accountant at Moss Adams accounting firm. My aspirations hopefully will take me to a Partner position within the firm or include transitioning to industry where I will work for a nonprofit.
Throughout the past year, I’ve been enjoying my work as an Accounting intern with the University of Idaho Foundation. I was able to participate in our audit last summer and was given a lead position on a few of the workpapers that were submitted to our auditing firm. In addition, I’ve been able to apply my knowledge from classes through working on and completing our 990 and 990T tax forms as well as working on the tax returns for a few of the many trusts we hold. In our last correspondence, I mentioned that I was participating in the selection process for Summer Leadership programs with a few of the major accounting firms in the pacific northwest. As an update, I was selected for three programs, Moss Adams, KPMG, and BDO, of which all three offered me summer internship opportunities for the upcoming summer. Each summer leadership experience was unique and provided an opportunity to build my existing business knowledge and networking skills while also giving me a chance to explore each firm’s culture and determine which office would provide the best fit for my personality and career goals.
That said, I am happy to announce that I have chosen to intern with Moss Adams in Spokane and have the potential to be offered a full-time position at the end of the summer. All the skills that I’ve learned both in the classroom and out, have helped me become a stronger, hard-working individual and a well-equipped professional. With graduation around the corner, I’m grateful for the support and assistance that I’ve received throughout this stage of my student and professional career and am excited to explore the new opportunities being offered to me as I finish up my studies. I look to hearing from you and I hope that you are proud of the things I have accomplished with your help. Thank you so much for your time and generosity.
Sincerely, Mikayla Maniatopoulos
