Seniors are eligible to apply for the Kansas-wide scholarship, Dane Hansen. To take the Hansen Qualifying Scholarship test, students should have an ACT score of at least 21, a GPA of at least 3.50 and should be active in community and school activities.

Senior Taylor Deboer is one of the students who participated in the scholarship opportunity.

“We first took a test, which was really long,” Deboer said. “It was sort of difficult, because I didn’t know a lot of random things I never knew I would even need to know. Then, we were asked to come in for an interview which was scheduled for a specific day and time.”

Senior Brooks Barber feels the test aspect was the hardest.

“The most difficult part of the process for me probably had to be the test we took to qualify in the fall,” Barber said. “It was very difficult and the questions were so random.”

Students believe the interview was no different than an everyday interaction.

“It was just like having a conversation,” senior Trenton Potter said. “They asked for my plans and my opinions on many different things and I gave them an honest answer.”

There are three levels of scholarships available to seniors.

“The highest award from Hansen is the Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship at a value of $10,000 per year for four years, or $40,000 total,” Barber said. “I got the Hansen Student Scholarship of $4,000 per year for two years, or $8,000.”

Those who received awards are proud to accept the scholarships.

“I definitely feel honored to receive this award,” Deboer said. “I worked really hard to get it all throughout high school and it’s just a really prestigious award, and it will definitely help me pay for college.”

Barber offered advice for underclassmen who plan to apply for Dane Hansen scholarships.

“Be confident, be organized, and meet the deadlines,” Barber said. “Follow up with your references to be sure they get their letters sent in, and if you get a scholarship, accept it as soon as possible – I accepted mine the same day I got the letter in the mail.”

Results are listed below.

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

Trenton Potter

Fengxue (Sylina) Zhang

Hansen Scholars ($6,500 renewable for one additional year):

Gage Phillips

Scott Ring

Nikki Vuong

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

Brooks Barber

Taylor DeBoer

Kacie Engel

Courtney Green

Brenden Koenigsman

Rachel Nansel

Caleb Pfeifer

Kristen Prindle

Emily Prine

Jared Thom

Jordan Voss

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

Brianna Koenigsman

DeMetria McCoy

Jacob Meis

Jarett Pfannenstiel

Diana Rodriguez

Benjamin Sadler

McKayla Schonthaler

Rhiannon Silva

17rbasso@usd489.com