The Jaech Foundation Awards $56,000 to Students in the Chelan Valley

16 Students will benefit from Jaech Foundation Support

information released

Jeremy and Jacquelyn Jaech announced the awarding of scholarships to 16 Chelan Valley high school students at an awards dinner on June 1st. The total amount of scholarships awarded was $56,000. The scholarships are provided by the Jaech Foundation and are aimed at local students looking to pursue higher education whether community college, university, or trade school.

Foundation president Jacquelyn Jaech said “We had so many strong applicants for our first year, more than we could afford to fund. It was very hard for us to pick our award recipients. There are many worthy students we could not fund.”

Award recipients include Aaron DeJarnatt, Teegan Silva, Kya Holmes, Julissa Diaz-Muganu, Morgyn Harrison, Thea Batch, Anthony Martinez, Conner Clausen, Cara Hutton, Natalie Sotelo-Solorio, Katie Gosvener, Emely Valencia-Suarez, Anamaria Villa Ruiz, Lauren Soliday, Joselin Nunez Basurto, and Esmeralda Torres.

Recipients were chosen both for the impact the award would have on helping each student achieve their educational goals and on the Foundation’s assessment of the impact their education would have on their family and community. No matter how excellent an applicant was if the Foundation didn’t think the award would have a large impact, the applicant was not chosen.

The Foundation also evaluated the likelihood of higher education success by not only looking at grades, test scores, and the difficulty of classes taken but also by looking at a few personal characteristics.

Students who had a proven ability to succeed despite obstacles in their way, had a sense of purpose, and the courage to do something no one else in their family had done—get a college degree—were prioritized for awards.

Jeremy Jaech said “I have seen first-hand the impact that a first-in family college graduate has on their siblings and the generations that follow. I go to the UW Tacoma commencement every year. At UWT about half the graduates are first-in-family. They come to the ceremony with huge entourages of immediate and extended family. The families hoot and holler for their graduating family member. The sense of pride and excitement for them is palpable.”

Scholarship recipients are eligible for future years of higher education funding if they continue to make progress toward their educational goals.