Lotus Club Awards Scholarships to NPC Students
National Park College (NPC) students Kelli LaRue and Dianna Mikkelsen were awarded scholarships from the Lotus Club this week. Each student received a $500 scholarship that can be used for paying for tuition, books, fees, licensures and testing expenses. The scholarship is awarded to female students with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must submit an essay and letters of recommendation.
LaRue is a nontraditional student and mother of three beautiful children. She attended
Fountain Lake schools and completed her G.E.D. diploma from NPC in 2008. She is working
on a teaching degree and hopes to teach high school math before working on a master’s
degree. She hopes to teach college level math in the future. She said, “Mathematics
has always come easy to me. It is easy for me to love math and I believe I can make
a difference for those who struggle with math.” LaRue says her husband has helped
her most while she has been in school. She appreciates his stability and support,
and his willingness to work harder so she can pursue this opportunity.
Mikkelsen is also a nontraditional student, returning to college after many years. She is enrolled in 22 credit hours at NPC and the University of Central Arkansas and is working on a teaching degree in family and consumer sciences. She chose this subject because of her passion for nutrition. She said, “In this field, the lessons are new each day.” She credits her best friend, Elissa Kirchem with helping her through the challenges of college. Mikkelsen said, “Though we aren’t in the same degree program, we collaborate to help each other with studying and proofreading assignments.”
This is the first scholarship the Lotus Club has awarded. The fund was established earlier this year after members raised money during Arkansas Gives Day in April. Director of Development, Dr. Sara Brown said, “I spoke to their group in February about providing scholarships to our students. At the time, they were going to give $250. After hearing a few of my stories of our mission and how we help our students, they raised $1,000 for their scholarship fund.”
Lotus Club is a book club that focuses on supporting reading, education and culture. The group has been active in Hot Springs for 127 years and has 20 active members.
Pictured are members of the Lotus Club with scholarship recipients. Left to right, Deborah Shannon, Dianna Mikkelsen, Betty Kleinman, Kelli LaRue, and Lynn King.
