A night of celebration
Pride In the Tiger Foundation holds annual scholarship ceremony
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MARSHALL -- Seniors at Marshall High School were in the spotlight on Wednesday, as the Pride In the Tiger Foundation held its 24th annual scholarship ceremony. Family and community members gathered to watch as a total of 105 MHS students received scholarships to help them further their education.
"We are so happy to see all of you here celebrating these students tonight," said Krista Bjella, executive director of the Pride In the Tiger Foundation.
Since its establishment in 1999, the Pride In the Tiger Foundation has provided more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 Marshall graduates, Bjella said. On Wednesday, the foundation awarded $175,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors.
"Scholarships are not merely a financial award. They also recognize excellence, and honor those who have shown hard work and integrity through their high school careers, and wish to further their education," Bjella said.
The scholarships and awards presented Wednesday focused on a wide variety of students, from athletes to students pursuing specific career paths, and students of character. The Principal's Award, presented at the end of the evening, honored a student who pursues excellence, supports all their classmates and is a person of high integrity, said MHS Principal Brian Jones.
This year, Jones presented Olivia Houseman with the Principal's Award.
Each scholarship presented Wednesday had a story, Bjella said. Those stories often came from connections to the local community. Anne Marie Vorbach, one of the speakers at Wednesday's awards ceremony, talked about her experiences working to start a Foundation scholarship in honor of Dr. Lloyd Petersen and Rennae Petersen.
"I thought about the people who were most influential in my children's lives, and I remembered Lloyd and Rennae Petersen. In talking about them, I can't do justice to the full legacy of Lloyd Petersen in this community. He was a football coach, a teacher, church member, Civil War buff," Vorbach said.
Vorbach said Rennae Petersen was also an influence on her children as a piano teacher. "Rennae was a patient and compassionate teacher to both of our children," she said.
Vorbach said she knew the Pride In the Tiger Foundation would be able to help pass on the Petersens' legacy to future generations of Marshall students. One of the beautiful things about the foundation was that individual community members can help make a big impact for youth, she said.
"It matters to the lives of Marshall students in ways that you cannot even imagine," she said.
As Marshall seniors prepared for the next part of their lives, Bjella offered some advice.
"Seniors, from the moment you stepped into our schools . . . you were excited, anxious and curious," Bjella said. Those same feelings were probably back as students approached graduation, she said. "As you embrace what comes next, just remember this is only the beginning for you, and we are so excited to see you achieve your goals."