05/11/2026
Congratulations to our 4 UFEA Scholarship winners and a big thanks to this year's Scholarship Committee: David Starr, Andrea Norton, Megan Brown, & Jamie Haseman.
Learn a bit about these amazing students:
Impact Scholarship - Naomi Getachew - Senior at Normal West - Naomi is a first generation Ethiopian-American. She plans on attending college ath Northeastern University and eventually finding a career centered around cloud computing and security. Jade Griffin (Physics Teacher at NCWHS) shares that Naomi is a student who embraces challenges and seeks growth. Naomi is highly involved with her school, participating in academic clubs such as National English Honor Society (President) and leading the girls varsity tennis as a team captain. Griffin further states that Naomi sets high goals for herself and then is self-motivated to work toward the attainment of these goals.
Rosenbaum Scholarship - Ella Sommer - Normal West - Elle plans to attend college and eventually become a school speech pathologist. She has a long family history of educators and has already begun to continue the tradition by participating in the Intro to Education course at NCWHS where she was able to observe many different teaching positions. She credits Dr. Beirbaum for making an impact on her decision to become a teacher. His encouragement to push her outside of her comfort zone and his passion for teaching are traits that Ella values greatly in becoming an educator. Sara Williams (Choir Director NCWHS) states that Ella "possesses the personal qualities and professional conduct to be an outstanding leader...She is at the top of students that I have had the privilege to teach."
Rosenbaum Scholarship - Kellyn Kramer - Normal Community - Kellyn plans to attend the University of Missouri with a focus on elementary education. When asked the "why" for becoming an educator, Kellyn response is "I want to be the reason children want to come to school everyday." Brad Bovenkerk (NCHS Journalism Teacher) appreciates how Kellyn's personality is matched by her actions. "She is a rare mix of maturity, humility, and humor- she is steady without being stiff, and warm without being naive" states Bovenkirk. Her actions further this spirit as she has already worked to mentor younger students, adapt instructions, and pursue direct classroom experience through an education internship.
UFEA Scholarship Winner - Samuel Wehmeyer - Senior at Normal Community - Sam plans to attend Illinois State University and major in Engineering. He has been accepted into the Honors program at ISU and is looking forward to becoming an engineer who designs and builds solutions that make a positive impact on his community. Mr. Drengwitz (Business Education Teacher at NCHS) describes Sam as humble, kind, and driven. "Sam is a leader by example....he never makes excuses and consistently finds a way to complete tasks thoroughly and at a high standard, regardless of the challenge.
