Three local students received Kohl Excellence Scholarships for 2015 to continue their education after high school.
They are Sara Arens and Kiahna Johnson, from Shawano Community High School, and Dan Tauchen, from Bonduel High School. Each will receive a $3,000 scholarship.
The annual awards are usually $1,000, but the sponsoring foundation tripled the amount this year in recognition of the scholarship’s 25th anniversary.
“I was very shocked,” Tauchen said of the news that he had received a Kohl scholarship. “It felt really good that I was being recognized for the work I went through in high school.”
The work is no short list, either. Besides being the class valedictorian, Tauchen played in the several of the school’s bands and sang in the choir and show choir, as well as being a three-sport athlete. He was also a member of the FFA and National Honor Society.
“I didn’t have much time to myself,” Tauchen said.
Arens and Johnson were also heavily involved with school organizations, besides being in the top 10 percent of their class.
Johnson played soccer and cross-country, performed in the pit orchestra and participated in the school musical, and has been a member of NHS, student council, Students Against Destructive Decisions and Bridge to Success (a program that helps incoming high school freshmen).
Arens was in the pit orchestra, participated on the swim team, performed in the jazz band and belonged to NHS and Bridge to Success.
“For me, I’m a little bit of a perfectionists. Straight A’s is the way to go for me,” Arens said. “I also like using my knowledge and abilities to the fullest.”
As for the future, Tauchen plans to attend Michigan Technological University, and Arens will attend the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Johnson said she has not decided where to continue her education, but she hopes to attend a college where she can do something that has a “cultural impact.”
“It’s really important for people to understand different cultures so we can all get along and build those bridges,” Johnson said. “I have a Peruvian mom, so I come from two different cultures, I guess. I like being able to see how two different cultures can form a family and unite the peace-building bridge.”
Kohl Excellence Scholarship recipients have demonstrated excellence in the academic arena and high motivation to achieve, have displayed a broad range of activity and leadership outside the academic setting, and have shown strong promise for succeeding in college and beyond, according to a press release from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation.
The scholarship was established by Herb Kohl, a retired U.S. senator from Wisconsin, in 1990 and has provided $9 million in awards to date, according to the foundation.
