AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WIN SCHOLARSHIPS DURING
“PREPARING THE WAY FOR COLLEGE” EVENT

Two area middle school students now have another reason to attend Iowa Lakes Community College following a recent event held in both Emmetsburg and Estherville.

Brittany Ross and Jordan Reason were the winners of a $500 scholarship to Iowa Lakes. Both students won the scholarships during the “Preparing the Way for College” 8th grade event hosted by Iowa Lakes.

All eighth graders along with parents and educators from 18 surrounding middle schools were invited to attend the event. On Sunday, January 30, the event was held at the Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville campus and the following Sunday, February 6, at the Emmetsburg campus.
Brittany, an eighth grader from Estherville-Lincoln/Central Middle School, won the scholarship during the Estherville event and Jordan, an eighth grader from Okoboji Middle School, won the scholarship at the Emmetsburg event. Both students will be able to use this scholarship once they enroll full time at Iowa Lakes Community College.

The event was coordinated by Iowa Lakes Community College staff members, Katie Elbert, Admissions Counselor, Trudy Ahrens, Talent Search Advisor, Brenda Kulow, Talent Search Advisor, and Dave Simington, Upward Bound Coordinator. The goal of the event was to reach out to the 8th graders before they began registering for their freshman year in high school.

Katie Elbert wanted the students to know, “No matter what college you choose to attend we want to let you know that Iowa Lakes Community College is here in your communities and we have many resources to help you on your path.”
Elbert also indicated, research is showing students are starting to make their decisions about their careers and colleges before they begin high school.

The event began with pizza and pop for all participants. Some of the topics during the event included what subjects are required at different colleges along with admission requirements, what is a high school transcript, how to prepare for writing essays and how to take college courses while in high school. Trudy Ahrens and Brenda Kulow spoke about the

Educational Talent Search program and how to get involved and Dave Simington also told about the Upward Bound program. At the conclusion of the event, door prizes were given out along with the drawing for the scholarships.

This event began last year at the Emmetsburg campus and this year was expanded to include the Estherville campus.