A trio of recently graduated Hillsboro High School seniors received scholarships for $1,000 each from the city of Hillsboro late Tuesday morning.
Joe Helterbrand, Katie Condo and Gideon Pickerington-Polstra were the recipients of the 2020 High School Senior Scholarships, which Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha said were made possible by donations from area businesses, private citizens and the city itself.
“The scholarship started when we began thinking about Senior Week, trying to do something nice for the seniors” Harsha said. “So we talked with some businesses and got some donations for Senior Week, and for those that donated money we decided that would be great for a scholarship, and in turn, the city matched some funds.”
Applications were offered to all seniors, not just those who were college-bound, but also those planning to enter the work force.
The applicants had a choice of writing an essay or submitting a video telling why they felt they would be a good candidate for being awarded a scholarship.
In the vein of “success begets success,” Harsha said the plan is to continue the scholarship program into the years to come, and allow students to use the money for either school tuition, supplies or other practical necessities such as work-related equipment that may be needed after graduation.
“A lot of people do go to college after high school, but some go straight into the workforce or into a trade and tech school,” he said, recalling his own time some 25 years ago when he attended a technical college in Dayton. “Sometimes you need supplies and equipment for work and school, so we didn’t want to limit it to just college tuition.”
The city of Hillsboro donated $1,000 along with other private and corporate donations, which brought the total donated amount to $3,000.
Joe Helterbrand plans to put his scholarship toward attending Ohio State University, with the eventual goal of becoming a vocational agriculture teacher.
For Katie Condo, her scholarship will be applied to the early childhood education classes she’ll be taking at UC Clermont in the fall.
Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. is the destination for Gideon Pickerington-Polstra, who said he plans to major in economics and political science.
Donations for the High School Senior Scholarships were received from Justin Harsha, Chad Abbott, Tracey Bennington, David “Oscar” Mayer of the class of 1974, Sarah Roe “The Mortgage Pro,” Buckeye Boat Repairs, Susie Wagoner, Kim Newman, Deborah Harsha, The First Baptist Church, Destiny Bryson, Miller-Mason Paving Co., Diana and John Jones, John Kellis, Cassie and Shawn Adkins, and the city of Hillsboro.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
