While high school scholarships are awarded across central Ohio for sports, extracurricular involvement or academic achievement, Upper Arlington High School has one award that stands out for quality of character.
It is for kindness.
The scholarship was created in memory of Emily Reardon, a 19-year-old Upper Arlington graduate who unexpectedly passed away in 2020.
While established in 2021, the scholarship through the Emily L. Reardon Memorial Scholarship with the Upper Arlington Education Foundation has only been awarded twice to graduating seniors of Upper Arlington High School, according to Emily’s father, Jim.
The deadline for students to apply by completing a one-page essay sharing how they demonstrate kindness and compassion to others is March 7.
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Reardon, who swam for Upper Arlington, was known for her kindness toward her classmates and community. To keep her legacy alive, her family started the kindness scholarship program.
“Getting the message of kindness out, it’s what’s kept me alive, you know?” Jim said.
The $2,000 award prioritizes students having extra financial needs, operating on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or planning to attend a two-year institution or trade school following graduation.
Speaking to the impact of the scholarship on the Upper Arlington community, Alice Finley, executive director of the Upper Arlington Education Foundation, said students are selected based on the qualities that made Reardon such a “beautiful and memorable” person.
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“The scholarship aligns, now more than ever, with our school district’s focus on excellence in areas such as thoughtful communication, empathy and engaging with others who have diverse perspectives. These characteristics are vitally important but sometimes overlooked,” she said.
Central Ohio college students in nursing and respiratory therapy are eligible for another kindness scholarship. Two statewide $1,000 scholarships are available through Another Act of Kindness. The deadline to apply is March 1.
The nonprofit was created in 2022 to give back to frontline health care workers following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the organization’s president and founder, Michele Maas.
“One simple act of kindness is the spark that can ignite the flames of compassion and love to encourage another act of kindness and move our world toward a more peaceful place,” Maas said.
Sophia Veneziano is a Columbus Dispatch reporter supported by the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation. She may be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com.
