The Dane G. Hansen Foundation has been providing scholarships to Kansas high schoolers for 45 years.

To receive a scholarship, students have to take a qualifying test, and then if they do well enough, they take part in an in-person interview. To be able to take the qualifying test, students need to have an ACT score of at least 21, have a GPA of at least 3.5 and should be involved in their community.

The foundation awarded 272 high school seniors from 59 different high schools with scholarships this year.

They awarded five different scholarships: the Hansen Leader of Tomorrow Scholarship for $10,000 that is renewable for three years, the Hansen Scholar Scholarship worth $6,500 that is renewable for three years, the Hansen Student Scholarship worth $4,000 that can be renewed once, the Community or Technical College Scholarship worth $4,000 that can be renewed once and the Career and Technical Education Scholarship worth $4,000 that can be renewed once.

Thirty-eight students from Hays High School received scholarships this year. This includes one student who won the Hansen Leader of Tomorrow Scholarship.

Senior Levi Hickert received this scholarship, which only 10 students in the state win every year. He found out he won through a letter he received in the mail.

“I was terrified to open my letter,” Hickert said. “When I did open it, I had to tell myself not to read ahead because I didn’t want to necessarily spoil it for myself, but when I read ‘$10,000 Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship,’ I was, well, speechless. It was so surreal, and I still can’t describe it any other way. It took such a weight off my shoulders and off my family as well.”

Hickert credits the hard work he has put into school over his high school career and the people in his life for helping him accomplish this.

“It’s truly just a combination of everything I’ve done and worked for that got me this scholarship,” Hickert said. “The incredible teachers I’ve gotten to meet and form relationships with, the numerous individuals throughout the community whom I’ve worked with who have always encouraged me and the scholastic and civic engagement that I’ve maintained.”

The results are listed below.

Leader of Tomorrow ($10,000 renewable for three additional years):

Levi Hickert

Hansen Scholar ($6,500 renewable for three additional years):

Carson Ackerman

Zoe Buffington

Nathan Erbert

Megan Flavin

Allison Hillebrand

Emily Huff

Caitlin Kuhl

James Roe

Ethan Voss

Taylor Weidenhaft

Sheena Zeng

Hansen Student ($4,000 renewable for one additional year):

Landon Dinkel

Matthew Goodale

Tucker Johnson

Brandon Kennemer

Ethan Klausmeyer

Aracely Hutchinson

Nathan Leiker

Abbey Oborny

Noah Obory

Olivia Reed

Dylan Ruder

Colton Vajnar

Community or Technical College ($4,000 renewable for one additional year):

Taya Randle

Career and Technical Education ($4,000 renewable for one additional year):

Kenia Macias

Dylan Warner

Jada Kaiser

Grant Brungardt

Quentin Rupp

Shayla Meredith

Kaylor Meyers

Jenna Miller

Delaney Maier

Kallynn Petz

Rylan Weigel

Callen Rumbaugh

Ayden Christensen

21abrooks@usd489.com