One of the recipients of our 2021 McKenna's Rae of Hope Foundation Character Scholarship of $1000 is Emily Loseke of Leigh, Nebraska. Emily plans on attending Concordia University Nebraska and studying Christian Education. Emily was nominated by Megan Hillen, her high school FCS teacher, and endorsed by Justine Fischer, a fellow educator. Congratulations to Emily from all of us at McKenna's Rae of Hope Foundation. Thank you for being a Rae of Hope for those around you.
Here is what Megan said about Emily:
I am pleased to write this recommendation on behalf of Emily Loseke. I have known Emily for six years and have served as her Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, FCCLA Adviser, and One-Act coach.
Within the last year, Emily has taken on a school and community-wide project to advocate for kindness. After listening to Dr. Ferial Pearson at the HOBY conference and an FCCLA event, she was determined to create a Secret Kindness Agency in our school. Emily has created and administered surveys, educated specific elementary and high school classes on the importance of kindness, and has expanded her project outside of our school walls. Her Secret Kindness Agency has spread to include other school districts and our community through the Kind Characters and Kind Connection programs. She has advocated for kindness and educated others through the use of social media platforms, hanging posters around town, and publishing articles in the local newspaper. The impact she has made is immeasurable. While she can provide you with the statics of how many people were reached, and how many kindness missions were completed, her education and advocacy efforts have reached an innumerable amount of people. The social media posts and newspaper articles serve as great reminders for our school, community, and beyond that kindness is important, and small acts of kindness each day can make a positive impact.
In my opinion, Emily is one of the most deserving candidates for the McKenna's Rae of Hope Foundation Character Scholarship. Emily is a person whom I both appreciate and admire. She has a huge heart, is ambitious, and always puts her best foot forward. Emily has proven her ability to lead, make an impact in our school and community, and there is no one I believe more deserving of this opportunity.
Her endorser continues.....
hat you must know about Emily first and foremost is that in my 11 years of teaching, I have never taught another student like Emily. She is one of the most unique and talented students I have had the pleasure of teaching in my career. Though your award is not based on academic achievement, her commitment to academics is unparalleled in our school. Her grades are impeccable, and her academic ability is dazzling, as evidenced by her strong ACT score. I believe this speaks to her determination and work ethic. Most importantly, she is an inquisitive student who always strives to do her best, no matter the circumstance, and who always wants to learn new material for the sake of learning, not just for the sake of a test or rote memorization. All of these traits have propelled her to where she is today.
But while her academic success is certainly laudable, it is her integrity and commitment to serving others that make Emily truly stand out. In all my years of knowing her, I have never seen her say a mean thing to another person or about another person. She seems years older than she really is because of her calm, confident, and poised outlook on life. And she has the absolute biggest heart. When we were out of school at the onset of the pandemic last spring, she hand-drew notes of positive encouragement for all the local businesses to hang in their windows. I also know she visits at least 7 elderly people in our neighborhood just to talk to them and provide company. Most importantly, she has personally started and led a two-year kindness challenge that spans our entire elementary and high school. This spring she even expanded the kindness challenge to our entire community, and the stories I have heard about the way it has rippled through our town and touched so many lives are incredible and inspiring. And much of her work is kept anonymous, as she does the selfless things she does because of her compassion and grace, not to earn accolades or praise. She fits in well with her peers, yet they know she breaks the mold of how a typical senior would act, and they admire and respect her for it.
I have gotten to know Emily best through her involvement in activities, including One-Act play, journalism, and Youth Advisory Committee. In the One-Act play, Emily has been a leader on the stage crew for three years. She was the lead sound technician for three years and was my student director this past fall in our successful program. She was always the first at practice and the last to leave. This is just one example of Emily’s character. She is the ultimate team player, willing to whatever is necessary to benefit the group. Her dedication behind the scenes has played a major role in our success. But beyond that, she made a point to encourage all the new members on our team who she felt needed a little extra encouragement to get over their nerves.
Emily is also President of the Youth Advisory Committee, a nonprofit community group dedicated to promoting civic leadership and fostering pride in the community. She has unquestionably been my hardest-working, most dedicated member. She is required to observe at least four community meetings a year of various organizations such as the village board, school board, community club, investment club, and the Leigh Legacy Fund. She is also involved with our village council and various community service projects. She was instrumental in last year’s community Christmas Festival project. This year, she is currently part of a project designing a historical mural for the entrance of our new school that is about to be revealed. She is also creating a “Then and Now” video for our upcoming alumni banquet. These are the types of things Emily does out of the goodness of her heart to help others. These take extra time from her already-packed schedule, but she will do anything to promote her community and help others.
In addition to the activities I coach, Emily also plays basketball, runs track (and has signed to run at Concordia University next spring), sings in the choir, edits the yearbook, and is extremely involved in our local FCCLA and FBLA organizations. Through her involvement in YAC, FBLA, FCCLA, and various church activities, to say Emily gives back to others is an understatement.
Even though she is so highly involved in extracurricular activities and manages to take such a full, dual-college credit course load this year, Emily manages to juggle everything with a sunny, cheerful disposition. In fact, she does not just juggle everything; she excels at everything. She is willing to put whatever time in that is necessary for her to be successful. And yet she still finds time to do little things like put a note in a locker of a junior high student who she saw was having a bad day.
Emily has undoubtedly been the epitome of a student and community leader in our school these past four years. She is the type of student that I hope will make the choice to come back to her hometown and become a future community leader. Smart, attentive, reflective, confident, and humble, she leads by her actions, and she is never afraid to do things others won’t. For these reasons, Emily is highly respected by students, teachers, and community members alike, and I give her my highest recommendation for any scholarship, especially one that is judged on the merits of character.