BBB awards $37,500 in scholarships to local high school seniors

Milwaukee, Wis. – Better Business Bureau® (BBB) of Wisconsin has awarded 15 Wisconsin high school seniors each a $2,500 scholarship as part of its annual BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program. The winners are listed alphabetically by last name, their high school name, and their intended college.

• Drae Bauer (Durand-Arkansaw High School; University of Wisconsin-Madison)
• Jayden Campbell (Nathan Hale High School; UW Oshkosh)
• McKenzie Curtis (Rice Lake High School; UW-Eau Claire)
• Rung Din (Hamilton High School; UW-Madison)
• Josephine Eastman (Prairie du Chien Senior High; Lakeshore Technical College)
• David Fargen (Ithaca High School; UW-Stevens Point)
• Reid Geiger (Marshfield High School; UW-Madison)
• Avanti Kekane (Brookfield Central High School; UW-Madison)
• Cicely Kiecker (Bloomer High School; UW-Madison)
• Brody Kielley (River Ridge High School; UW-Madison)
• Kaden Olsen (Waunakee Community High School; UW-Madison)
• Maverick Schry (Appleton West High School; UW-Oshkosh)
• Evie Whitaker (Iowa-Grant High School; Fox Valley Technical College)
• Kasey Yu (Hartford Union High School; UW-Platteville)
• Charlie Zastrow (Fox Valley Lutheran High School; Marquette University)

Recipients of the scholarship program are chosen primarily based on their personal essay submissions and letters of reference. The personal essay prompts students to discuss an ethical dilemma and describe how they dealt with that issue based on their understanding of integrity and ethics. This year’s scholarship winners discussed ethical dilemmas related to workplace ethics, family values, social injustices, and personal commitments.

David Fargen, one of the 2023 BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship recipients, said in his essay, “We all have the power to have a positive impact, not only on ourselves, but also everyone around us. It’s whether we choose to acknowledge the ability within ourselves to do what is right that matters most.”

An independent, volunteer judging panel chooses scholarship recipients made up of local academics and community leaders.

“The applicant pool this year was full of unique stories that not only discussed ethical dilemmas and integrity, but also gave the review committee an insight into the students’ personal stories. My favorite part of reviewing these scholarship applications is being able to get to know the student and their life experiences,” said Tammy Rozek, a 2023 BBB scholarship judge.

Each year, BBB awards scholarships for post-high school education at any Wisconsin-based accredited college beginning in the fall. Since 2010, BBB has now awarded $305,000 to students of integrity. Two of the scholarships are reserved for students attending two-year colleges to help reflect Wisconsin’s manufacturing and trade economy and encourage students to pursue careers in this industry. BBB also allocates two scholarships for students currently enrolled in the Milwaukee Public School District to be intentional about expanding the BBB scholarship opportunity to this traditionally underserved district.

“The essays and stories from the 2023 BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship recipients encourage us for the future of the Wisconsin marketplace,” said Julie Albrecht, Executive Director of the BBB Foundation. “Even through adversity, the courage these young people have to make good choices in difficult situations should truly inspire us all.”

All winners will be recognized at the 2023 BBB Ethics Awards Luncheon on Thursday, May 18th, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. With Mary Stoker Smith from Fox 6 in Milwaukee as the Master of Ceremonies and Joel Katsma from Acuity Insurance as the featured speaker, all are welcome to register to attend this event to honor the winners, network, and connect with business owners, stakeholders, executives, and other associates from throughout the state of Wisconsin. Anyone interested in attending can register at BBB.org.

Funding for the 2023 BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program is provided by the generous support of the 2023 BBB Foundation Sponsors and Reputable Table Sponsors for the BBB Ethics Awards Luncheon event: We Energies Foundation, Johnson Financial Group, Plum Media, Educators Credit Union, Dave Jones, Milwaukee Brewers, The Difference Principle, O’Leary & Anick, Horizons Law Group, Town Bank, Ellenbecker Investment Group, Community Benefit Tree, Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, and Catholic Financial Life.

For more information on the BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program, go to BBB.org.

For an online version click here

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Serving Wisconsin which was founded in 1939 and serves the state of Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.