Thorpe scholarship awards announced
Two Neal Thorpe Memorial Scholarships were recently awarded to Alaska high school graduates who are the first in their immediate family to attend college. Alaska Community Foundation awarded the scholarships, totalling $15,000, to Jennifer Diep of Anchorage, Desirae Roehl of King Cove and Stacy Halverson of Yakutat.
Jennifer Diep of Anchorage, a scholarship recipient from 2011, graduated from Alaska Pacific University this spring with a degree in environmental science. She now works as an environmental scientist at the Bethel Native Corporation and hopes to eventually attend graduate school.
Desirae Roehl of King Cove will apply her scholarship toward a degree in sustainable studies and an associates degree in business at Alaska Pacific University. Roehl graduated from King Cove High School in 1998 and now works for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage as a Tribal Environmental Program manager.
Stacy Halverson of Yakutat, now entering her sophomore year at George Fox University in Oregon, received a Thorpe scholarship in 2011, which was renewed for 2012. A graduate of Mount Edgecumbe High School, Halverson is pursuing a degree in social work.
The scholarships will be paid directly to the applicants’ university for tuition assistance.
The scholarship was created to honor Neal Thorpe, a trustee and executive director of the Murdock Charitable Trust. He had deep ties to the state and worked to improve the quality of life for Alaskans.