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Women's Club At Westlake Awards Annual Scholarships
By Keith Hagarty
Two Jackson college students are hard at work trying to reach their goal of attaining college degrees, and the Women's Club At Westlake is doing what they can to help after honoring them last week with $4,000 in scholarship money.
Having received scholarships from the Women's Club At Westlake in past years, both Michele Hans and Denise Mayer expressed their gratitude to the group for this year's award, with each receiving a $2,000 college scholarship.
Now entering her sophomore year at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, Hans, 19, said she was not expecting to receive a scholarship from the club two years in a row, and was completely surprised.
"It feels really good to have the community support you," she said, "and I can only hope that I can support the community in the same way once I graduate and come back here."
As an environmental studies and education major, Hans said she's already learned a wealth of information from her completed freshman year.
"It was a lot harder than I expected it to be, and a lot more challenging," she said, "but the friends I've made, I know I'll have for a lifetime."
Receiving her third scholarship from the Women's Club At Westlake, Mayer, 20, of Georgian Court University has received $6,000 total in school funds from the club.
"I really wasn't expecting to get it again," said Mayer. "It was a shock. I was like, wow, I can't believe I'm getting it three years in a row."
With the cost of college tuition rising every year, every bit of additional financial assistance is greatly appreciated, said Mayer.
"It helps out a lot because Georgian Court is an expensive university," she said.
Entering her junior year at the school, Mayer is currently working on a degree in psychology, with a minor in Spanish.
"It's challenging, but I feel the professors are always there to help you and make it easier," she said. "The friends I've met are great too."
Comprised of a group of central educators from the active adult community committed to giving back to the community, the Women's Club at Westlake Scholarship Committee offers scholarships open to all female applicants in Jackson, no matter the age, who are going off to college or returning after years of absence, according to committee organizer Mary Helen Sullivan.
"They have proven track records," she said of Hans and Mayer. "There was a decided need, and their best work in following their careers was very evident."
Now in its fifth year, being part of the scholarship committee and watching its recipients excel academically and socially in their collegiate endeavors never gets old for Sullivan.
"Our commitment to giving towards education, and seeing their accomplishments is the reward we get," she said.
The scholarship recipients expressed their gratitude for being recognized by the Women's Club at Westlake.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," Hans told Sullivan. "I know that I wouldn't be able to continue my education without the help of the Women's Club at Westlake and their generosity.''
Mayer agreed, expressing her appreciation to all the members of the group. "It has enabled me to continue on with my hopes and dreams of helping other people with my degree in psychology," she said. "It takes a village to raise a child, and thank you for being part of my village."
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