David Barton Pedereson Scholarship 2013

I have had the amazing opportunity to work on a project for the David Barton Pedersen Scholarship with Leigh VandenAkker at East High School.  This was the fifth year that this scholarship has been at East High and the fourth year that I have been asked to photograph the seniors that are up for the scholarship.  I absolutely love it!  The students have some truly inspiring stories and are so deserving of the scholarship.  This year I was amazed to find out that 46 students applied with 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 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.

I was asked to photograph the scholarship finalists and for an even greater personal touch, Mrs. V gave me a list of qualities that each of the students possessed to also be incorporated in the photographs.  The scholarship presentation this year did not fail to exceed my expectations and it was extremely uplifting.  After reading the students' essays and having a personal interview with each of them, the Pedersen Family was so impressed with all the students that they could not choose only a few students to receive the scholarship.  Like every year, I was blown away to find out that the family gave each of the 46 students a $500 scholarship.  As though that wasn't enough they gave an additional $500 scholarship to 8 of the students that truly stood out to them.  The total amount of money given to these students was $47,000!

I am touched every year by the Pedersen Family's generosity and positive outlook on life.   Thank you for letting me take part in such an incredible experience.  Here are the scholarship finalists' photos that were displayed at the event.