When the David Barton Pedersen Scholarship comes around it is BY FAR one of my favorite times of the year. I have had the amazing opportunity to photograph all the students that are involved with this special scholarship for the past 3 years. Each student has a truly inspiring story and they are all so deserving of the reward being offered. This year 31 students, almost double the number that applied last year, wrote essays that explained how they use the skills they have learned in Mrs. VandenAkker's class to stay drug free and overcome trials in their lives. Mrs. V's class, Techniques for Tough Times, is hard to summarize because it incorporates so many different skill sets. Among many other things, her class helps students understand how to be assertive, to communicate more meaningfully with others, to set goals, to resist peer pressure, and to have a voice. The Pedersen family lost their son to a drug overdose seven years ago and this scholarship was created to honor their son and help other students understand why it is important to be drug free. The Pedersens are always so positive and really portray the true meaning of charity. Instead of focusing on their tragedy, the Pedersens focus on how they can make a difference in other peoples lives.
The generosity of the Pedersens leaves me, along with many others, moved to tears every year. This year was no different as Mr. and Mrs. Pedersen gave each student that applied a scholarship for $500 - $1,000. This family is truly honoring their son. Again, I am so grateful to be a part of such an incredibly uplifting experience. Below are photos of each of the students that were displayed at the scholarship presentation.
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Wedding season is just around the corner which means gorgeous engagements in the snow!!! Yay! I love winter sessions... especially when they are done in warm morning light with two good looking people. This couple was so much fun and they were just super nice people. They were down to do whatever crazy thing I asked of them from basically ice skating across a parking lot to laying in the snow. I cannot wait for their wedding coming up in March. Be on the look out for more from this couple...
Is anyone else sick of this snowy weather? I sure am! As I was going through some of my files from 2011, I came across part 2 of Michelle's bridals (how did I miss posting these sooner??). Anyway, these photos made me miss warm weather even more. So, I had to create this post to share not only some more of the gorgeousness that is Michelle but also to help bring some warm sunshine to these cold winter days. This portion of her bridals took place in some beautiful morning light. I was giddy while playing with the amazing sun flare and Michelle's golden curls. Love you girl!
Oh yeah, if you want to see part 1 of Michelle's bridals they can be found
here.
Copyright
All images are copyrighted by Kristi Martin Photography and are protected by federal law. Do not use without the written permission of the photographer. Thanks!
