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UNI Hosts Reception to Honor Bright Scholars of Iowa

On September 27, 2019, the University of Northern Iowa held its annual dinner reception to honor the Bright Scholars of Iowa. The 2019 cohort of scholars recognized at the event included:

Austin Heidbreder
Grace Petrzelka Gage
Maddy Redmond
Jada Thompson
Mackenzie Wisneski

Speakers at the event included UNI President Mark Nook, Senior Bright Scholar Hailey Huggins, and Bright Foundation Board President & Managing Director Tom Press.

Meredith Dohmen, Director of Scholarships for the Bright Foundation also attended the event and presented the new scholars with Bright Scholars of Iowa medallions and Bright Story books.

“Being a Bright Scholar means being part of a family that is selfless and giving, and which strives to provide a better future for today’s youth who, in turn, will contribute to society.”

“My first year in college has been amazing. I was able to get involved with intramural sports, Iowa Wishmakers and Dance Marathon because you took the financial burden off my back and allowed for me to get the most out of my college experience. I’ve been able to focus on school and not worry about working which has allowed me to get the most out of my education. I was also able to fulfill one of my dreams before going to college; I was able to pay for a child’s Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World with my graduation money because of your generosity and covering the expenses of my education. This first year has been great and I cannot wait for the next three years. Thank you Bright Scholars of Iowa!”

“This is a great community of scholarship recipients to be part of. The scholarship has improved my life in so many ways – not only by allowing me to graduate debt-free in just eight semesters, but also by providing a support system and a network of other Bright Scholars.”

“As I finish my sophomore year, I am grateful that I have received the Bright Scholarship to help me achieve my goals. My grades have been good and I am proud that I’ve been making Dean’s List. I attended the Engineering job fair to target companies for a summer internship. After being offered two, I chose Nutra Flo, a liquid fertilizer manufacturer in South Dakota. I’m excited to see what I will learn and how much I know out in the real world of Mechanical Engineering. Thank you again for awarding me the Bright Scholarship. Thanks to the Bright Foundation, I have been able to attend ISU without the burden of deep financial indebtedness. It has allowed me to experience ISU but most importantly, I have been able to study in order to do well in my classes. It is because of the Brights — they had a vision to help young people in Iowa achieve higher education. I am excited to be a part of that vision.”

“I cannot even begin to properly thank or even put into words how much this foundation has helped put me on an amazing path to reach and accomplish my dreams. Ever since I was seven years old, I have wanted to become a doctor. I wanted to be able to help people, to make sick people better, to be a healer, and to learn and grow to the fullest of my abilities. Because of the Bright scholarship, these dreams and goals are closer within reach. I am achieving success in ways I never thought were possible. My dreams may have been to help others and learn as much as I possibly can, but this foundation has helped me and given me the chance to do the things I love, to push myself, learn, and experience the joy of hard work and success. This scholarship inspired me to help others as well. Currently, I am pursuing a research opportunity with Dr. Mario Ascoli, Carver College of Medicine, to help with work on finding cures for infertility. I am also in the beginning stages of recruitment for alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority! A lot of things have been going on for me, but none of this would be possible without the Bright Foundation. This foundation gave me the blessing of not having to be stressed, financial security, the ability to reach my goals, but most importantly, faith in myself to do what I love best, so again, thank you.”

“I want to personally thank the Bright Foundation for this year. I would not be nearly as successful without their financial support. I come from an incredibly humble background and the financial stability they have given me in the form of this scholarship has allowed me to commit my highest potential to my classwork. They are the reason I am the student I am today. I have tried to carry the Bright Foundation’s values close to my heart this academic year. I worked extremely hard and devoted much of my outside time to volunteer work. I cannot put into works how grateful I am for the opportunities this foundation has given me. They have laid the groundwork for all of my current and future success. I plan to celebrate these values, and this foundation for the rest of my life.”