Academic Distinction Scholarships Awarded for Fall

Michelle Staggs of Corning, Robin Buckwalter of Imboden, Braden McKinney of Maynard, Kelsey Bruton and Laura Junkersfeld of Pocahontas, Elizabeth Blankenship of Smithville, and William Keeling of Walnut Ridge have each been awarded the Academic Distinction Scholarship to attend Black River Technical College.  All seven recipients are May 2013 graduates of area high schools.

The Academic Distinction Scholarship provides full tuition renewable up to four semesters provided the recipient successfully completes a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester and maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.00 for the first two semesters and 3.25 for the remaining two semesters.

Staggs is the daughter of Margaret and Danny Staggs and a graduate of Corning High School where she was involved in choir, Art Club, Spanish Club, Drama Club, band, flag line and FBLA.  She plans to pursue an associate of arts degree  BRTC.

Buckwalter (no photo available) is the daughter of Belinda and Scott Tippitt of Imboden, and Kevin and Amanda Buckwalter of Pocahontas.  She is a graduate of Sloan-Hendrix High School and  plans to become an RN.

McKinney is the son of Jennifer McKinney of Maynard and is a graduate of Maynard High School.  He plans to pursue an education in the field of computer science, eventually earning a master’s degree.  He likes going to church and is a volunteer at Marilyn’s Clogging Co.

Bruton is the daughter of Rose and Lavern Bruton of Pocahontas and is a graduate of Pocahontas High School.  She plans to become a physical therapy assistant.

Junkersfeld (no photo available) is a graduate of Pocahontas High School where she was awarded Academic Student of Distinction.  She is the daughter of Leah Evers of Biggers, Jeff Evers of St. Louis, and Jerry Junkersfeld of Pocahontas.  She plans to earn an associate of arts degree at BRTC then transfer to a four-year college to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Blankenship is the daughter of Charles and Leslie Blankenship of Smithville.  She graduated from Black Rock High School where she was a member of FFA (vice president), FCCLA (parliamentarian), FBLA, and the Birdell Saddle Club.  She plans to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Keeling (no photo available) is the son of Tina Adams and Charles Adams of Walnut Ridge.  He is a graduate of Walnut Ridge High School and plans to pursue a degree in engineering.

To qualify for the Academic Distinction Scholarship, applicants must be a graduate of an accredited Arkansas high school, must be first-time entering freshman and have an ACT composite score of at least 24 or be in the top 10% of their graduating class with a 3.00 GPA.

For more information, contact Natasha Rush at 870-248-4000, ext. 4019.