Edmond Seniors Receive Scholarships for Exemplary Character

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 Character Council Announces 2026 Scholarship Winners

The Character Council of Edmond honored Edmond high school students, Fathiyah Ayodele; Blake Foster, Audrey Hawkins and Londyn Knight at a reception held at Vault 405 on May 5th for demonstrating good character in their daily lives. Family and friends of the recipients along with supporters of the Character Council were present at the celebration.

This year, each winner received a scholarship of $2,000 for the school of their choice. Due to generous donations from members of the Edmond community, the Character Council was able to meet a goal to increase scholarship amounts from $1500 to $2000 this year for each recipient.  

The Character Council's 2026 Scholarship Selection Committee received 32 applications. Each applicant described a specific character trait that they identified as their strength in a 500–550-word essay submitted along with their application for the scholarship. The traits were selected from a list of 36 Character Core Words developed by Strata Leadership. In addition, each applicant provided a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher or counselor attesting to the applicant's character. The four winners all demonstrated leadership qualities, participated in extracurricular activities at school and in the community and maintained commendable academic standards.

Fathiyah Ayodele attends Edmond Memorial High School (EMHS) and aspires to become a physician. In her scholarship application essay, she identified with the character trait of determination.

Ayodele's instructor and HOSA Future Health Professionals advisor at Francis Tuttle Biosciences and Medicine Academy, Natalie Bowman said, “I have witnessed firsthand her exceptional determination, resilience and growth. After being diagnosed with scoliosis, she made the difficult decision to step away from athletics, an activity that had been an important part of her life. Rather than allowing this challenge to limit her, Fathiyah redirected her focus with remarkable determination.”

After Ayodele underwent spinal fusion surgery, her life changed. Ayodele said, “Sports had always been my comfort zone. But after injuries kept pulling me further away from athletics, I realized that determination meant more than holding on to what I had lost. It meant being willing to find something new.”

When Ayodele got into high school, as a requirement of her program she joined HOSA. Despite her fears, she ran for a chapter officer position and won. Ayodele said, “As a chapter officer, I led meetings, organized events, and spoke in front of my peers. None of that came naturally at first.” 

Eventually, she decided to run for a state officer position, which meant she represented members statewide and spoke to larger audiences.

Ayodele said, “Determination has shaped every turning point in my life. It carried me from a hospital bed to the track I once loved, to a stage where I now lead with purpose. My path did not turn out the way I expected, but determination taught me that I never needed it to. I kept moving forward and built a path I am proud to call my own.”

Blake Foster, also a senior at EMHS, expects to major in broadcast journalism at the University of Oklahoma. In his scholarship application essay Foster cited adversities that enabled him to cultivate resilience in his life.

Foster said, “Throughout high school, I have faced challenges that forced me to choose between giving up and pushing forward. Each time, I chose to keep going. Because of that, resilience has become more than just a trait, as I value it as the foundation of who I am and the choices I make.”

One of the issues Foster faced was a diagnosis that required him to undergo osteochondral allograft transplantations surgery to repair a hole in his knee joint caused by bone deterioration. Due to the surgery, he was unable to participate in his junior year of varsity basketball and missed his final Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) season. Foster said, “Basketball had always been a major part of my identity and suddenly, it was gone.”

Following the surgery Foster committed to doing what was necessary to experience complete recovery. Foster said, “I relearned how to walk, run, and jump, and earned a spot on our varsity basketball team for my senior year.”

While Foster’s condition challenged him physically and mentally, his grandfather’s passing from Bulbar Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2022 challenged him emotionally. Foster said, I could have allowed that grief to overwhelm me, but instead, I chose to turn it into purpose. His battle with ALS inspired me to pursue a future in broadcast journalism, so I can use my voice to raise awareness about the disease. Through resilience, I learned that even the most painful experiences can become a source of motivation and direction.”

Audrey Hawkins, valedictorian at Edmond North High School, intends to study at the University of Arkansas to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science and aspires to attend law school to earn a Juris Doctor.

By the time Hawkins was in the fifth grade, she already knew that she excelled in creativity. What she didn’t understand at her young age was that her character trait went beyond her artwork. 

In her recommendation, English Department Chair at ENHS, Teri Walls said, “Audrey has a way of approaching texts from fresh angles, often offering insights that move beyond the expected and invite others into the conversation. Her thinking is both analytical and imaginative, a combination that reflects the very definition of creativity: approaching ideas from new and meaningful perspectives.”

One of the ways that Hawkins’ innovation emerged was through her extracurricular activities. Hawkins is a founding member of the Monster Soup Society, an organization led by youth volunteers. Their goal is to reduce substance abuse and support emotional health among their peers in Oklahoma. Hawkins said, “Monster Soup, as a coalition run by youth for youth has been my main outlet and mentor for vital critical-thinking and leadership skills I will carry with me forever.”

Hawkin’s creativity continues to expand beyond her younger self’s artistic bent. Hawkins said, “Creativity is not just a product; it is a process that presents itself in my decision-making, approach to tasks, and pursuit of passions. With every homework assignment, every activity, and even every miscellaneous task, I try to create new possibilities or uniquely build off existing ones.” 

Londyn Knight, also a valedictorian at ENHS, plans to attend the University of Oklahoma to study psychology.

In her essay, Knight wrote, “Dependability is the character trait that has most clearly defined who I am throughout my high school years. To me, dependability means being someone others can trust, whether that involves meeting deadlines, supporting friends, or honoring commitments even when circumstances become difficult. It is about consistency, integrity, and following through. Throughout high school, this quality has shaped my decisions, strengthened my relationships, and guided me in both academic and personal responsibility.”

Her Advanced Placement English Language and Composition/Student Council Leadership teacher, Brian Hunter, said, “Londyn has great character. She is one of my most trustworthy students—someone I can depend on to do the right thing even when I am focused on another task.”

Knight attributes her achievement as valedictorian to her reliability. Knight said, “Academically, dependability influenced the way I approach my work. I made the choice to complete assignments on time and prepare thoroughly for exams. I understood success would not come from occasional effort, but from steady discipline.” 

Through her association with the Student Council, Knight helped raise $241, 371 for Limbs for Life, a local non-profit that helps Oklahomans in need of running blade prosthetics. Knight said, “Through these experiences, I learned that leadership is closely tied to dependability. A leader must be someone others can trust to act responsibly and keep commitments.”

Knight’s reliability helped her achieve success in different aspects of her life. Not only through her efforts as a scholar, but also through her charitable work and the trust built through her faithfulness to show up in personal relationships. Knight said, “As I move forward, dependability will remain a core part of who I am and how I approach future opportunities and challenges.”

The Character Council has been awarding scholarships to Edmond high school seniors since 2015. The Character Council, to date, has awarded thirty-nine 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-Audrey Hawkins, Londyn Knight, Blake Foster and Fathiyah Ayodele. 

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).
• 2025: Claire Ellis (BM), Sara Hassan (SF), Addison Kramer (SF), 

                   Kyler McCormack (M).

To date, the Character Council has awarded 39 scholarships totaling $51,500 to Edmond high school seniors!!

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