Tammy Needham Memorial Scholarship

I would like to start by saying that I am extremely blessed to have grown up in the community of Sundance. Looking back, I can see how God has used this community and specific individuals in it to impact my life. Sports have been an important aspect of my life from a very young age. I am fortunate enough to have been provided with an opportunity to continue my athletic career in college at Chadron State College playing football and running track. Going to college has allowed me to grow athletically, socially, and spiritually more than I ever could have imagined. Outside of school, I enjoy doing anything and everything outdoors, especially with family and friends. It could be hiking, fishing, or working, it really doesn't matter to me. I just love being out in creation. When thinking about who has influenced me to choose education, it is difficult to narrow it down to just one person. I believe it was shaped by the influence of many individuals. In my educational career, I have had the privilege of being taught by some incredible teachers. My career choice in education stems directly from the powerful example set by teachers who demonstrated excellence in their classrooms. When I think about my most influential teacher, the first one that comes to mind is Ms. Needham. She was a great example of what it looks like to pour your whole heart into something. I was fortunate enough to have Ms. Needham as my fourth grade teacher as well as my DI coach for three years. Looking back, what stands out most isn't the specific content she taught but how she taught it. I remember her enthusiasm, the hands-on activities, and the unique traditions, like the gun-spinning birthday spankings, that made her class unforgettable. These were all the things that, in my mind, made Ms. Needham an awesome teacher. Through DI and Ms. Needham's class, I developed a genuine love for problem-solving and critical thinking, an interest that continues to benefit me today. I want to do for others what Ms. Needham did for me and so many students. I want to invest in young people and make a lasting impact, just as my teachers invested in me. Teachers like Ms. Inghram, Ms. Courtney, Mr. Dobesh, and Mr. Olson also influenced me deeply. They made it clear that they cared about me as an individual and wanted to see me succeed. My goal is to pass that same impact down to the next generation. Looking on to next year, my plans are to continue working towards my degree in Business Education 6-12. In addition to the education degree, I am also working towards a coaching endorsement. The goal is to be able to move back to Wyoming to teach and coach at the middle school or high school level. I really just wanted to be in a career where I would be able to make an impact on others' lives. After reflecting on my own life, I realized that some of the most influential people in my life were teachers and coaches. So for me, education isn't just a profession I've chosen, it's the most meaningful way I can pay forward the investment others made in my life.

I am Macaria Medina-Cox. I grew up in Evanston Wy, and have continued my education at the University of Wyoming. Although I grew up in a comfortable household, my parents are not paying for my education. This causes issues getting federal funding or other funding based on their income although I don't get their assistance. I have always been very committed to my education and my future since a young age. I am currently working towards my bachelors in biology and a minor in psychology. I always knew I wanted to enter a science field because I want to enter medicine. However, when choosing specifically biology I have my AP biology teacher Mrs.Francom to thank for sparking my interest. When I was in highschool I took a higher level biology course to prepare me for the college course my freshman year. Unfortunately I struggled a lot in that class and did not enjoy biology after that year. A couple years later during my senior year of highschool I took the college biology course not expecting to thrive in it. However, in the end my new teacher Mrs.Francom taught with such enthusiasm it opened my eyes to what biology can look like. Since that class I have loved the idea of studying life overall. Because, my views on biology had flipped so much I entered college going for a general biology degree. If it was not for Mrs.Francoms' class I would have always had bad emotions toward this subject. After college I hope to get into medical school and continue my education. The overall goal is to become a neurosurgeon and use my education to help people feel better. Growing up in Evanston we always directed our medical care to Utah or other surrounding states, and never relied on our home state. Because of this I want to use my career as a neurosurgeon to bring more advanced health care into Wyoming. This will allows our residents to rely on our own state for healthcare instead somewhere else. I believe biology is a perfect degree to help assist me to my goals because it allows me to study all aspects of life and understand everything from the leaf of an aspen tree to the neurons in our brains. This pairs perfectly with the pre-medical class requirements because those require me to take extra classes on chemistry and physics expanding my overall knowledge even more.

Sitting there in my first-grade classroom, a fire was lit in me. I knew someday I wanted to be a teacher just like Miss Rose. I watched her teach with passion, positivity, and a caring heart. She was fun, and her laughter drew children to her. Miss Rose taught for many years and influenced many children, but sadly, she was taken from this world much too early after a battle with breast cancer. She may be gone from this world, but her legacy lives on in the lives of her students. I believe she would be proud to see me pursue a degree in education today, knowing she played a part in lighting that fire in me. At the age of 20, I became a teacher in one of the small Mennonite schools I had attended as an elementary student. As a Mennonite girl, attending college for a degree in elementary education was not an option. There were teaching seminars/classes, and I learned under a master teacher, but there was no college education. I only had an eighth-grade formal education, but I learned much by observing other teachers and working first under the tutelage of a veteran teacher. That veteran teacher's experience of almost twenty years in the classroom gave me valuable feedback on how to teach to capture my students' attention. Teaching was such a fulfilling job for me. No other job was as demanding or consuming as teaching, but neither was there one so fulfilling to me. I knew I had found my calling. Seeing a child's eyes light up when they finally understood a concept was a joy. Spending six hours a day with my students was a big responsibility and a gift I did not take lightly. We became like a little family in that classroom. Still, years later, when I see my former students, I feel a kinship with them, and I feel proud of them even though I am no longer involved in their lives or culture. Next to being a mom, being a teacher was the most fulfilling responsibility I have had. Now that I have left the conservative Mennonite culture I grew up in, I am working on a degree in elementary education to get back into the classroom. I would love to teach in a private school (or another small school setting because I love the multi-level classroom). Also, since I am a wife and mom now, I would like the flexibility of online teaching.

My name is Jameson Fleenor. I am a senior at Sundance High School. I am exceptionally active in my school and community through organizations such as 4-H, FFA, youth group, student council, basketball, football, and track. I am also a leader. I am the president of both our FFA Chapter and our school’s student council. I was also a captain on both the football and basketball teams. In the classroom, I have kept a 4.0 GPA for my high school career. I have also taken many college-level classes including Math 1400, English Comp 1, and Comp 2. I am currently ranked first in a senior class of twenty-seven. The person that initially spiked my interest in engineering was Tammy Needham herself. Miss Needham was my fourth-grade teacher at Sundance Elementary School. Looking back on my fourth-grade experience, it was evident that she saw my STEM-oriented mind, and she pushed me to use it to my fullest potential. Miss Needham assigned many problem-solving and building assignments that allowed me to find an interest in the subject. Miss Needham pushed for STEM in and out of the classroom. During my fourth grade year, she convinced me to participate in Destination Imagination, in which she was the leader. During my year in DI, I had to work with my team to build a structure out of popsicle sticks that would hold as much weight as possible. After months of brainstorming and problem-solving, our team had a design ready that held the most weight at state DI and we were able to win the division and qualify for DI Nationals. I cite this as the first event that got me interested in engineering. With the degree I am pursuing, I plan to become a civil engineer. The field has good job security and opportunities that I want to tackle. In my job, I want to be innovative. I want to be able to help influence new techniques and technologies that will improve the way the job is carried out. I want to be a valued employee, allowing me to reap the benefits and help my firm or company to perform better. The degree will set me up to be able to provide a steady income that will allow me to provide for my family. It will also help me and my family to be able to travel to the various places that I have wanted to visit since I was young. At the top of this list is Greece, where I would love to see the ancient architecture I have learned about in school. Getting a degree is an extremely crucial part of my life plan, and the Tammy Needham Memorial Scholarship would be very helpful in letting me pursue it.