By Docker Haub
Student Reporter
Three Northwestern Oklahoma State University seniors were awarded the Guthrie Scottish Rite Scholarship on April 4.
The scholarship, given by the Guthrie Scottish Rite Charitable and Educational Foundation, is presented to education majors who are teacher candidates trying to complete their professional semester.
This semester the award was presented to Haleigh Brown of Yukon, who’s majoring in elementary education, Caitlin Evans of Enid, who’s majoring in English education and Karlton Riffel of Tampa, Kansas, who’s majoring in agriculture education. The Guthrie Scottish Rite Charitable and Educational Foundation works primarily with children with language and/or reading disorders. Recipients are chosen by members of the Teacher Education faculty who have reviewed all applications and voted for the candidate they felt was the best choice. For Caitlin Evans, being awarded this scholarship was monumental to her final semester. “It means the world to me because in the last five years I’ve faced what I thought were insurmountable odds,” Evans said. “When I was 17, I had twin girls 10 weeks early during my senior year of high school, six months later I married my husband, who is a police officer in Enid. In 2017, we welcomed a baby boy. So, not only did I have three kids in three years, but I also went to school full time on a police officer’s salary.
Scholarships like the Guthrie Scottish Rite scholarship have allowed me and my family to succeed. I will now graduate with my family by my side and a proud Northwestern Oklahoma State University B.A.E by my name.”
The Guthrie Scottish Rite scholarship has also played a key role in the other winner’s lives.
“I am so thankful that Northwestern has these kinds of scholarship opportunities to offer,” said Karlton Riffel, “Being a senior education major, it’s tough to find the time to go to school, get your work done and also find the time to work a solid job. This scholarship makes it much easier for me to accomplish my goals.” “I was honored to be chosen as a winner for this scholarship,” said Haleigh Brown. “I know there were a lot of great applicants in the education program, and I’m so honored to have been picked as a winner by my instructors.
Northwestern has been nothing but good to me, and I can’t wait to graduate and go out and make a difference in other people’s lives.”