Character Council Senior Scholarship Program

Edmond Character Council Announces 2022 Scholarship Winners Edmond High School seniors continue to make a positive difference in our community. Scholarship winners Campbell Christensen, Jaclyn Fan, and Kayla Nguyen were honored for their exemplary character at a reception following the Character Council’s April board meeting. Character Council members are excited to present this year’s worthy seniors with a $1500 scholarship each.  

Over the last eight years, the Council has awarded twenty-two scholarships to Edmond high school seniors who submit an application along with an essay based on a character trait that they demonstrate in their daily life and a letter of recommendation that attests to their good character. 

Memorial High School senior, Campbell Christensen demonstrates the character trait of compassion in various ways. Campbell volunteers at Edmond Center Court where she leads tennis clinics for underprivileged and Down Syndrome children. She also serves on the Martin Nature Park Advisory Board as well as other local youth organizations.  In her essay, Campbell wrote, “Compassion is a gift that you can give to others while also giving to yourself.”  She continued, “With each and every project I tried my best to show kindness and humility while helping those in need.” Campbell also excelled at Memorial where she was named Academic All-State, Salutatorian, and AP Scholar along with other noteworthy achievements. The one thing that impressed the scholarship selection committee the most was Campbell is the founder of a nonprofit called Progressive Youth OK. Campbell was able to raise enough money to provide 200 bags of food for local families in need. Campbell’s high school counselor, Brook Bullock in his letter of recommendation said, “Campbell Christensen is charismatic, intelligent, and compassionately ambitious in her efforts to help others.” Campbell plans to attend Hendrix College in Arkansas majoring in art. 

Scholarship winner, Jaclyn Fan from Edmond Santa Fe High School chose the character trait of resilience, recovering from adversity. Jaclyn suffered nerve damage that ended her dream of a musical career. In her essay, she said, “I had always expected my body to work perfectly.  When it did not, I found myself more grateful for the abilities I still had.”  She continued, “I discovered a passion for nonprofit service, embraced difficulty and grew as a result.”  At Santa Fe, Jaclyn set high standards for herself becoming a National Merit finalist, AP Scholar, scoring a perfect ACT score, and participating in varsity speech and debate. Many of Jaclyn’s activities outside of school focused on volunteering especially with the non-profit Live Life Music.  After her life altering diagnosis, Jaclyn embraced Live Life Music becoming president and CEO of this nonprofit.  Jaclyn’s AP Biology teacher, Elizabeth Carlton wrote in her letter of recommendation, “In all her activities, Jaclyn works tirelessly to organize philanthropic events as well as promote a positive school culture.” Jaclyn plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall studying Philosophy and Economics. 

Our third recipient is Kayla Nguyen, who is also from Edmond Memorial High School. Kayla wrote, “Although a combination of character traits are necessary for success, I believe the most important trait that is exemplified in my life is initiative. By taking initiative, I strive to act in the best interest of myself and others, which in return, engenders a myriad of positive outcomes."   Kayla established a student-to-student mentoring program at Memorial, free of charge to students. It allows students who excel in a particular subject to help their peers to grasp difficult concepts.  Kayla demonstrates her initiative in both her school and our community.  Besides being a National Honor Society officer and senior class president, Kayla is involved in DECA. She is a licensed esthetician and is certified in CARES Dementia Basics and CPR, and volunteers in health clinics, blood drives and the HOPE Center. AP United States History teacher, Christine Custred said in her letter of recommendation for Kayla, “Discipline, drive, integrity, and compassion are rarer than high test scores, and these are the qualities that Kayla possesses.” Kayla intends to major in Cellular Molecular Biology at Oklahoma City University. 

The selection committee, comprised of eight volunteers, was impressed by all the applications submitted this year. What really stood out was how each senior overcame the adverse effects of the pandemic during their high school years. Their resilience made a positive difference in their personal lives, their schools, and their community. With all the negative news that surrounds us, we should focus on the kindness and compassion that surrounds us, too.  

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).

Announcing our 2022 Senior Scholarship recipients: Campbell Christensen from Memorial; Jaclyn Fan from Sante Fe, and Kayla Nguyen from Memorial. Congratulations to these outstanding seniors and to all our Edmond graduates!!  Best wishes!!  

If you would like to make a tax exempt donation to help support this Edmond initiative, please mail your donation to:

Character Council of Edmond

PO Box 392

Edmond, OK 73083