SCHOLARSHIPS

“As tensions escalated,” said Labron. “Kamila certainly worked to convince her family to move back to America.”

Facing many cultural challenges, Skonieczny has successfully completed AP courses and dreams of pursuing a career in medicine, speci cally to become a surgeon.

Graduating from Rock Canyon, Jacoby Keefe, whose older sister was a Missy Martin Scholarship recipient two years ago, was also awarded a scholarship.

Speaking on behalf of Keefe was school counselor, Mike Sullivan.

“He embodies what this scholarship is about,” said Sullivan.

Keefe was adopted into a large family and with seven siblings, he was willing to help out. Although school was challenging for him, he found a passion in football and according to the coaches, he is one of the hardest working athletes on the eld.

Last year, he joined Sullivan’s e Phoenix Class and through his senior year, he has had the best grades of his high school career. Keefe is currently going through the nal stages of acceptance for Kansas State.

Meghan Tesch was honored by her

Thunderridge Administrative Dean and Center Based Program Director, Marshawn Yuhas.

Tesch underwent several surgeries to correct her hip dysplasia in order for her hip to move properly. Although she had the option to do school from home, she persevered and used crutches and a scooter around school.

When her family thought Tesch’s surgeries were done, they discovered one night in the emergency room that she had a grapefruit sized cyst and was given a 5% chance of survival. One day after her surgery, she was back to school where is was also a peer counselor.

Tesch will be attending the University of Nebraska where she will be studying chemistry in hopes to become a forensic scientist.

Although Aloukika Patro from Douglas County High School was not able to make the ceremony,

School counselor Amy Boyce told her story.

Patro was born in India with Caudal Regression Syndrome, meaning she was born with no lower limbs. When she was in third grade, her parents migrated to the U.S. and Patro experienced independence as she got a wheelchair. Throughout her high school career, Patro started a program called Kika Coin as a way to pay it forward. If she saw someone doing a kind act, she would give them a coin and when that person saw someone doing a kind act, they would do the same.

During the pandemic, Patro set up virtual Bollywood dance lessons, worked with Kids For Peace and with retirement homes and started kindness conversations on social media. When the tragedy in Boulder hit, the first thing Patro wanted to do was to help the first responders and others in the community.

Patro will graduate with her IBDP diploma and will attend University of Colorado Lead School of Business.

“She is one small voice but that voice can be heard among the cacophony of the struggles in our community, in this country and this world,” said Boyce.