Chamber of Commerce announces scholarship winners

Each year, the Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce offers scholarships to students pursuing post-secondary education. The scholarships can be used for education expenses, including tuition, books, housing, and transportation.

This year, the Chamber received 7 excellent applications from local students, and the committee had a hard time making its decision.  However, three students stood out above the others.

This year’s scholarships went to Susitna Valley High School graduates Jennifer Crosby and Skyler Hamler, and previous scholarship winner, Ian Mannix, who is now attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

The  funds for the scholarships are raised yearly through Chamber member donations and the Chili Contest held during the Wilderness Woman Contest in December.

The applicants are judged based on academic course difficulty and success, community and extra-curricular activities, employment history, and goal statements. Applicants also submit a short essay describing how the student’s current or future activities contribute to the community, show a commitment to humanity and/or help and protect the environment.

This year was a large application year for many scholarship programs, with many applicants applying for at least a half a dozen local scholarship programs.