Sponsored By
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
MITCHELL — Lainee Forst, Carsyn Weich and Aubrey Gelderman have a lot in common. All three are recent graduates of Mitchell High School, have long been active in community service projects and were successful athletes during high school.
They are also all recipients of the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) STAR Scholarship, a $2,500 scholarship for tuition funded through the organization. Their successful application for the scholarships marks the first time that all three Mitchell chapters of the organization have had their nominees approved for the honor.
ADVERTISEMENT
Forst said it was a daunting application process, and a bit of a surprise when the three Mitchell girls were announced as winners. But it was a sweet and unexpected moment when her name was joined by those of Weich and Gelderman.
“It was all really cool when we all figured it out. Especially because our friend group is so hard-working, and we all are very goal-oriented. And we’re all just so close,” Forst told the Mitchell Republic. “So I think it was super cool not only for me to succeed, but also my friends.”
The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship was established in 2009 to provide scholarships for exceptional women in their final year of high school to attend an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the United States or Canada in the next academic year. A competitive scholarship, it is offered to women who exhibit excellence in leadership, academics, extracurricular activities, community service and potential for future success.
The selection process weighs those factors among around 2,000 applicants a year, with about 15 to 17 South Dakota senior girls making the cut. The three Mitchell chapters of the group — designated as AP, BK and J — have nominated candidates and have had some of their nominees selected, but never all three in the same year.
For Forst, the daughter of Nick and Jill Forst, her application highlighted over 400 hours of community service projects, her performance with the standout Mitchell High School gymnastics team and her experience working with her own head of 12 cattle at county and state fairs. It was all enough to secure one of the three local nominations, but the process could be tricky, she said.
“It went really well, (but) I think one of the more difficult things is we had to explain everything in 250 words or less. I think that was the hardest thing because some of the things I’m involved with are very complex and I like to share about those. So being able to narrow that down to 250 words was very, very challenging,” Forst said.
Weich and Gelderman agreed that compacting their application submissions into short summaries was difficult. That’s likely because their own backgrounds were also filled with activities and accomplishments.
ADVERTISEMENT
Weich, the daughter of Scott and Becky Weich, logged 272 hours of community service, took part in basketball, tennis and track and planned and worked numerous community events, including food and blood drives. For Gelderman, it was about 412 hours of community service. She was also another member of the MHS gymnastics team and served on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.
The three had been classmates for years and had grown close through various activities.
“Lainee and I went to elementary school together at Gertie Belle Rogers, and then throughout middle school we stayed friends. They both do gymnastics, so that’s kind of their connection, and then we all got really close because we all do track,” Weich said. “I was pretty surprised (to be selected for the scholarship). It was especially super cool to find out that two of my friends also got it. That was fun.”
All three have their personal interests, but they seemed to gravitate together through their time in the Mitchell School District.
Gelderman, daughter of Steph and Jared Gelderman, noted that the three spent time on the track, in the classrooms and even on the road for special trips, like the one the three just went on to Nashville for HOSA. She was proud of her accomplishments and greatly admired Forst and Weich’s successes over the years, as well.
“I feel like my grade and my friends group are above-and-beyond students and people and athletes,” Gelderman said. “I had known people who’ve gotten a no and people who have gotten a yes (for the scholarship), but everyone that I knew were great candidates. I was kind of like – whatever happens happens. (But it) is a nice surprise.”
The three already know where their new tuition scholarship money will go.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gelderman is ready to enroll at South Dakota State University, where she expects to study pre-med. Though not a fan of doctor visits when she was a child, that changed when she started watching a popular medical television show.
“I used to hate anything medical. The thought of me ever being a doctor and having to give someone a shot? Hated it. Would not do it,” Gelderman laughed. “And then, ironically, I started watching Grey’s Anatomy. I loved it. So when I entered high school, I just took all of the medical classes and I loved it. I love learning about it and I love exploring it and learning new things.”
She’s looking forward to making new friends, but at least one old friend will be nearby.
Weich will also be attending SDSU, but for nutrition and dietetics. That interest was spurred during her time as a high school athlete.
“I had met with a dietitian my freshman or sophomore year, and I just found it interesting. I had taken a nutrition class at school where we got to do cooking and make healthier versions of stuff. That’s where it kind of came from,” Weich said. “My goal is to be more geared toward sports and athletes.”
Forst will head farther south to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where she will focus on a major in exercise science and a minor in nutrition with an eye on becoming a chiropractor.
Like Weich, her experience in athletics piqued her interest in the field.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve definitely had my fair share of injuries, and it was always people that helped me get back into the gym. They were never people that told me I couldn’t do it. A chiropractor is actually one of the people that I’ve gone to for a really long time, and they’ve helped me in various ways. I loved that aspect of it,” Forst said.
Though soon to be separated by about 300 miles, the three longtime friends intend to remain connected. They already have plans to make visits between the two schools, and they all expect they will remain friends even long after they bring home their college degrees.
They all expressed gratitude for the scholarships from P.E.O., not just for the help with tuition, but also for giving them a unique memory of their final days of high school. And they’re excited for what the future and their friendship brings next.
“We will 100% keep in touch. We already have planned trips to go to each other’s colleges. And I would venture to say that we will be friends for the rest of our lives, just because of how close we are now,” Forst said.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
