ST. MARYS — St. Marys Memorial High School’s Katie Lucas and Lehman Catholic High School’s Casey Topp took top honors in the 2021 Midwest Electric scholarship competition for children of members.
The two seniors each received a $2,000 scholarship. Topp will go on to represent Midwest Electric in the Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives statewide scholarship competition in April, where finalists will compete for up to $3,800 in additional funds. In total, $41,800 will be awarded between all contestants.
Second-place $1,500 scholarships were awarded to Makalya Bok and Preston Layman, both of Elida High School. Receiving third-place $1,000 scholarships were Mara Grieshop of St. Henry High School and Brandon Paul of St. Marys Memorial High School.
The six general scholarship winners were selected from a field of 35 area high school seniors, with a 3.5 or higher-grade point average, whose parents are Midwest Electric members.
Additionally, Josh Niekamp from Minster High School, won the $2,000 Touchstone Energy Achievement Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who has overcome a significant challenge in pursuit of their goals. Niekamp, the son of Christopher and Becky Niekamp, will be attending The Ohio State University.
Lucas, of St. Marys, plans to attend Ohio Wesleyan University. While in high school, she has been involved in soccer, band, basketball, a member of the National Honor Society, and a representative of the WBL Sportsmanship Committee. Lucas has a 4.802 GPA and is ranked first in her class. Her parents are Jerry and Jennifer Lucas.
Topp, of Minster, will be majoring in game design at either Champlain College, Miami University, or New York University. During his four years at Lehman Catholic, he participated in band, the school musical, was a member of the National Honor Society, and competed in the Science Olympiad. Casey is ranked second in his class with a 4.000 GPA. He is the son of Gregg and Angela Topp.
Bok, of Elida, is considering Harvard University or Bowling Green State University to study biology, pre-med. She has been active in tennis, Latin club, art club, quiz bowl, and a member of the National Honor Society. Bok has a 3.960 GPA, is ranked second in her class, and is the daughter of Travis and Julie Bok.
Layman, also of Elida, will attend The Ohio State University and study neuroscience, pre-med. He is involved in soccer, basketball, and Latin club. Layman has a 4.000 GPA and is the son of Eric and Kelly Layman.
Grieshop, of St. Henry, will attend The Ohio State University and major in biology. She has been a member of the Nation Honor Society, Spanish club, science club, and art club. Grieshop is ranked first in her class with a 4.000 GPA and is the daughter of Shannon and Judith Grieshop.
Paul, of St. Marys, will attend The Ohio State University and study engineering. He has been involved in 4-H, football, powerlifting, band, a member of the National Honor Society, and Esports team. Paul has a 4.627 GPA and is the son of Michael and Elaine Paul.
Midwest Electric is committed to empowering the communities it serves through one of its cooperative principles, “Education, Training, and Information,” which aims to uplift the next generation of leaders and help them with career preparation expenses. Each year, scholarship applications become available in December. Watch Midwest Electric’s website at www.midwestrec.com/scholarships for 2022 applications.
