The National Park College (NPC) Foundation announced the recipients of the 2017 Van Davis Memorial Scholarship. Dee Mikkelsen and Kasey Tillery were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
Mikkelsen is a non-traditional student and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society. She is returning to school after putting her son through college. She hopes to transfer to the University of Central Arkansas to work toward becoming a licensed dietitian.
Tillery is a graduate of Cutter Morning Star High School and a participant in the National Park Technology Center medical professions program. Her dream is to become an emergency medical technician or a nurse practitioner.
The Van Davis Scholarship is a competitive scholarship that is awarded to a first generation college student with a cumulative GPA between 2.0 and 3.5. Students are required to complete an essay, which is reviewed by the Faculty Senate Scholarship Selection Committee. The scholarship was created to continue the legacy established by Dr. Van Davis. Dr. Davis was an esteemed member of the NPC faculty and Chair of the Social Sciences Division, teaching students for nearly 38 years and inspiring them to use their drive, passion, humor and intellect to succeed at earning college degrees. He cared for his students deeply and shared joy in their successes as scholars and human beings. He often provided personal scholarships to individuals in need, many of whom were first generation college students.
The scholarship is funded with proceeds from the Annual Van Davis Memorial 5K Run/Walk. Over the past four years, the event has contributed more than $53,000 to the scholarship endowment. Presenting sponsors for this year’s race include The Sentinel-Record and Morgan Stanley. Gold sponsors include Regions Bank, The Munro Foundation, Levi Hospital and Alliance Rubber. Silver sponsors include First Security, US Raceworks and Lewis Architects. Bronze sponsors include Road ID, Dr. Richard Braley, Hot Springs Title Company, Raymond Wright, Portal Dental, Razorback Vending, Group Therapy, US Bank, Simmons Bank, BanCorp South, Malvern Minerals, BW’s Studio, Pro Productions, Med Express Urgent Care and Stonecipher Distributors.
This year’s event is set for February 24 at 9:00 a.m. at Whittington City Park. Registration information can be found at www.np.edu/VanDavis5K.
