Wrapping up National Scholarship Month

Each spring, the Foundation awards three $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors, plus a fourth ($500 scholarship) from its “100 Women for Haslett” fund. The Foundation’s scholarship committee also administers the selection of six honorees for the Hagenbuch Memorial Scholarships – the “Herbie Awards” – presented by the Hagenbuch family since 1983 in honor of 1953 graduate Herb Hagenbuch.

Our scholarships recognize students who have excelled academically and who have dedicated themselves to serving their local communities, while also understanding the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion and working to elevate those values in our community. The 100 Women scholarship recognizes a female student who also has excelled academically and has shown active participation in both the school and greater Haslett communities. The Hagenbuch scholarships honor students who have worked to improve scholastically throughout their high school careers and also have given back to Haslett by participating in extracurricular and community activities.

And while the impact of a $1,000 award may seem small given the rising costs of postsecondary education, we continue to learn how every penny counts as students move on to their next endeavors. Five recently-received thank-you notes were presented to Foundation Board members during their November meeting, and three outlined how these awards would go toward assisting with the purchase of laptops necessary for what’s next for those students – an example of several ways these scholarships benefit honorees as they pursue their dreams.