Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland has awarded $26,500 in scholarships eight Kansas Girl Scouts.
According to the organization, these scholarships, made possible through the George W. and Jayne S. Smith Scholarship Fund, recognize the leadership and service exhibited by Girl Scouts. Jayne Smith served as executive director of the Wichita Area Girl Scout Council for 28 years before retiring in 1979, and both George and Jayne Smith volunteered thousands of hours in support of Girl Scouts.
“These dedicated Girl Scouts exhibit courage, confidence and character, and make the world a better place,” said Liz Workman, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “Thanks to the generosity of George and Jayne Smith, $26,500 in scholarships will benefit local girls who have worked hard to make a difference in their communities.”
In addition to receiving a George and Jayne Smith Scholarship, Maureen “Reeny” Botros, 18, of Wichita earned her Gold Award and accepted Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland’s $2,500 Gold Award Scholarship. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, Botros created Catwalk Coding, a series of weeklong technology camps aimed at elevating the conversation around girls’ success in STEM fields without compromising their feminine identity.
“Girl Scouts fosters a sisterhood of women and girls bonded by a shared aim to benefit their community through character development and service. Girl Scouts empowered me to take the initiative, to take action, to constantly ask ‘Why not me?’,” Botros said.
The Girl Scout Gold Award recognizes girls in grades 9 through 12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through Take Action projects that have a sustainable impact in their communities and beyond. To learn more about the Girl Scout Gold Award and Girl Scout Scholarships, go to kansasgirlscouts.org.
Complete List of Scholarship Winners:
| Name | City | Education details | Scholarship |
| Ashton Baxa | Osborne | – Osborne High School, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend Hutchinson Community College |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
| Emily Bishop | Wichita | – The Independent School, Class of 218 – Plans to attend Western Washington University |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
| Maureen Botros | Wichita | – Home School, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend Stanford University |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 Gold Award Scholarship – $2,500 |
| Cadence (Cade) Ciesielski | Valley Center | – Valley Center High School, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend Kansas State University |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
| Analyse Claude | Hays | – Hays High School, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend The University of Kansas |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
|
Meredith Dumler |
Wichita | – Wichita High School East, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend The University of Kansas |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
| Alicia Thurston | Wichita | – Wichita High School Northwest, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend Kansas State University |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
| Breanna Zarchan | Wichita | – Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Class of 2018 – Plans to attend Newman University |
George & Jayne Smith Scholarship – $3,000 |
