Edmond Seniors Receive Scholarships for Exemplary Character

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The Character Council of Edmond honored four Edmond high school seniors with $1500 scholarships for their exemplary character at a reception held at The Vault405 on Monday, May 12th. This year’s winners are Claire Ellis, Sara Hassan, Addison Kramer and Kyler McCormack.

The Character Council received 31 applications this year. Each applicant included a 500–550-word essay based on a specific character trait identified as their strength. The traits were selected from a list of 36 Character Core words developed by Strata Leadership. In addition, they provided a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher or counselor affirming their character.  All four winners participated in extracurricular activities at school and in the community while they maintained excellent academic standards.

Claire Ellis, a student at Bishop McGuiness, intends to use her scholarship in pursuit of a medical degree at Tulane University. During her early years Ellis encountered adversity after her mother became concerned about her daughter's health. Doctor after doctor rejected her concerns. She persisted and the thirteenth doctor listened. He was able to diagnose the problem, a childhood cancer known as neuroblastoma. The radiation treatments saved her life, but left Ellis with long-term chronic illness. Her resilience enabled her to keep bouncing back. Through her experiences a dream emerged to become a doctor committed to serving her future patients.

Dillon P. Walker, M. Ed., Senior Counselor/Coordinator of College Counseling at Bishop McGuiness, said, “What truly sets Claire apart is her resilience and strength of character. Despite facing significant challenges in her personal life, she has emerged with a unique perspective that informs her interactions and leadership. Claire is fiercely independent and holds herself to high standards, qualities that drive her to excel in everything she does.”

Ellis said, “I learned early on that life is fragile. But rather than let this define me as a victim, I chose to see it as a calling. I wanted to understand medicine, to solve the puzzles of illness, to be the doctor who doesn't dismiss but instead fights for answers.”

Sarah Hassan attends Edmond Santa Fe High School and plans to study at the University of Pennsylvania and obtain a law degree in the future. Hassan's goal, to practice law, originated from her experience with a chronic illness. It took seven years for Hassan to receive a diagnosis. Until that time her symptoms were disregarded. She later discovered what she went through was not uncommon among Black women. Hassan said, “Refusing to become just another statistic, I stayed resilient and became committed to addressing systemic inequities in my community, finding my avenue in philanthropy.”

Drew McNeil, one of Hassan's teachers, spoke of her work with the Student Council and her role organizing Double Wolf Dare Week that helped raise $200,000 for the Foster Care and Adoptive Association of Oklahoma. McNeil said, “This speaks in part to what makes Sara so special: she is not merely an extremely intelligent, resilient, thoughtful and intellectually curious person, she is also a fundamentally good person who consistently challenges herself to be better and do better.”

Addison Kramer is also from Edmond Santa Fe High School. She plans to use her scholarship to help her obtain a degree in education. Kramer's life turned upside down when her friend tried to end her own life. In her essay, she expressed gratitude that her friend survived and is now moving forward on a path to recovery. Kramer said, “I spent much time reflecting upon our friendship wondering what I could have done differently to provide the support she needed.”

Krammer's introspection encouraged her to make herself available to listen to others when they needed to talk. She learned the treasure of making friendships that count. Kramer also recognized the value of her compassion, found ways to use it to help others and in the process affirmed her goals to become an educator.

In her letter of recommendation, Addison's AP Language and Composition teacher, Valerie Roberson said, “Addison's work ethic and compassion will impress her colleagues, and she will, ultimately, make a positive mark on the world.”

Edmond Memorial High School senior, Kyler McCormack looks forward to the next season of his life at the University of Notre Dame. He desires to achieve a degree in engineering. McCormack said, “Whether I'm competing in tennis, fulfilling my leadership responsibilities in extracurricular activities or studying to perfection, determination empowers me to succeed in everything I do.”

Lisa Brown, McCormack's AP Calculus teacher said, “Kyler is an outstanding young man who excels academically. Kyler takes challenging AP-level courses and excels in them. He is also a member of our tennis team. Despite his busy schedule, he remains composed and never lets stress overwhelm him. Kyler approaches each day with a positive mindset and his time management skills are unmatched. I can honestly say that I have never had a student that has worked harder than Kyler, or who was more motivated than Kyler. He is an exceptional student and human being.

McCormack said, “As I prepare to study engineering in college next year, I know my determination will give me the strength to never give up in my rigorous classes and make the most of every opportunity.

The Character Council has been awarding scholarships to Edmond high school seniors since 2015. Through generous community donations, the Character Council, to date, has awarded thirty-four college scholarships to seniors who exemplify good character in their daily lives. Applications can be downloaded from the Character Council website, edmondcharacter.org, in the fall.

Pictured: Left to right- Sara, Claire, Addison, Kyler

Since its inception in 2015, the Character Council of Edmond has sought high school seniors who exemplify good character in their daily lives. The application process includes an essay based on a character trait they demonstrate and a letter of recommendation that will attest to their character. We awarded our first scholarship to Patricia Salas from Santa Fe High School. Since then, we have awarded the following $1000.00 Scholarships: 

• 2016: Kathryn Puckett (Memorial); Hannah Berndt (North); Kennedy Allbee (Santa Fe). 
• 2017: Kylie May (M); Alison Duke (N); Cassidy Towe (SF)
• 2018: Kelsey DePrang (M); William Hentges (N); Brandon Duong (SF). 
• 2019: Casey Minnick (M); Caroline Best (N); Aja Montgomery (SF). 
• 2020: Sivadarshan Aravindan (SF); Mackenzie Goings (M); JJ Ruff (M).

Starting in 2021, the Character Council was able to fund scholarships for $1500 thanks to the generosity of others.

• 2021: Gracie Berger (N), Zachary Hall (SF), Layla Molina (SF).
• 2022: Campbell Christensen (M), Jaclyn Fan (SF), Kayla Nguyen (M).
• 2023: Sam Mooney (OCS), Grace Noland (SF), Jack Ray (OCS), Kaitlyn Twenter (SF)
• 2024: Stella Sage (OCS), Harper Sage (OCS), Evelyn Hrencher (N), Jaley Hunt (SF), Katarina Samwel (SF).

If you would like to make a tax-exempt donation to help support this Edmond initiative, you can click on the DONATE button on our home page or mail your donation to:

Character Council of Edmond

PO Box 392

Edmond, OK 73083