Milwaukee, Wis. – Better Business Bureau® (BBB) has awarded 15 Wisconsin high school seniors each a $2,500 scholarship as part of its annual BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program. The winners are listed in alphabetical order by last name, along with their high school name and intended college.
- Morgan Baier (Arcadia High School; University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point)
- Ella Borgwardt (Winnebago Lutheran Academy; Wisconsin Lutheran College)
- Juanito Cole – (Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin; Milwaukee Area Technical College)
- Joshua Elkin (High School of Health Sciences; University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Lucy Gillard (New Berlin Eisenhower; University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Lia Haile (Manitowoc Lincoln High School); Ripon College)
- Chloe Lichucki (Holmen High School; University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Anna Meilahn (Stevens Point Area Senior High; University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)
- Hayley Moore (Wautoma High School; University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)
- Emily Odenkirk (Oak Creek High School; University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- Cassidy Pigeon (Green Bay Preble High School; University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
- Keira Podnar (Denmark High School; University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
- Joseph Thawng (Ronald Reagan High School; Marquette University
- Yalitza Tovar (Carmen High School of Science and Technology; Carroll University)
- Gracie Waukechon (Bonduel High School; College of the Menominee Nation)
Recipients of the scholarship program are chosen primarily based on their personal essay submissions and letters of reference. The personal essay prompts students to discuss an ethical dilemma they have faced and to describe how they dealt with that issue based on their understanding of integrity and ethics. This year’s scholarship winners discussed ethical dilemmas related to workplace ethics, family values, social injustices and personal commitments.
Joshua Elkin, one of the 2022 BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship recipients said in his essay, “Maintaining integrity is an ongoing process; it doesn’t pause for the sake of convenience nor does it end at ‘good enough.’ I’ve learned even when navigating important relationships, my integrity takes precedence — not my personal comfort.”
Scholarship recipients are chosen by an independent judging panel made up of college admissions counselors, university staff, community leaders and a past scholarship recipient.
“The pivot this group of learners had to make in the classroom did not affect the efforts and intentions of students regarding leadership, service, or integrity even during an unprecedented time,” said Alexis B. Carter of Alverno College, a BBB scholarship judge. “It was a joy to see how resilient, and introspective our applicant pool and selected scholarship recipients have been in a time of major unknown. For me as an adult I applaud the class of 2022 for showing us a variety of considerations for this scholarship award.”
Each year, BBB awards scholarships for post-high school education at any Wisconsin-based accredited college beginning in the fall. Since 2010, BBB has now awarded $267,500 to students of integrity. Two of the scholarships are reserved for students who will be attending two-year colleges to help reflect Wisconsin’s manufacturing and trade economy, and to encourage students to pursue careers in this industry. New this year, BBB allocated two of the scholarships for students currently enrolled in the Milwaukee Public School District in an effort to be intentional about expanding the diverse group of student scholarship recipients.
“The essays and stories from the 2022 BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship recipients encourage us for the future of the Wisconsin marketplace,” said Julie Albrecht, executive director of BBB of Wisconsin Foundation. “Even through adversity, the courage these young people have to make good choices in difficult situations should truly inspire us all.”
Funding for the 2022 BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program is provided by the generous support of donors, including: Wisconsin BBB Accredited Businesses, We Energies Foundation, Dave Jones, Inc., Catholic Financial Life, Associated Bank and Roger Schroeder.
For more information on the BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program, go to bbbscholarships.org. For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.
