Over the past several years, the Utah Public Employees’ Association (UPEA) has partnered with Mountain American Credit Union to award three deserving students with a $1,000 scholarship. Both UPEA and Mountain American hope that with the help of these scholarships, these students will continue to work hard and serve the community in the future. These scholarships show the Association’s gratitude to public employees for their continued dedication.
Emily Yang is the first recipient. Yang in the fall will start her sophomore year at the University of Utah. She is studying chemistry and plans to go to medical school. Yang graduated from Skyline High School with a 3.99 grade-point average (GPA), and she’s also finished her first year of college with a 4.0. In high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society and, among many other service projects, helped to raise money for surgeries to repair children’s cleft lips. She currently volunteers at Primary Children’s Hospital in the patient services department. Her biggest interest outside of school is table tennis. She is the president of the University of Utah table tennis team and leads the team to national competitions.
The second scholarship winner, Ella Devey, will graduate from Herriman High School this May with a 3.9 GPA and is on track to earn seven academic awards. She will attend Utah State University in the fall and plans to study humanities to begin a career in social or political science. Devey serves the community in many ways, including tutoring fellow students, volunteering at the food bank, and completing service projects for domestic violence survivors. Throughout high school, she has participated in numerous musical activities, such as marching band, wind symphony, and jazz band. She’s been accepted into the Southern Utah University Honor Band for three years and Utah All-state band this year.
Kasidee Lamb is the third scholarship recipient. She will graduate from Sky View High School with a 3.9 GPA after taking several honors and AP classes. She will attend Dixie State University in the fall, where she plans to study health sciences and become a dental hygienist. Lamb has already started her own jewelry business and creates unique pieces to sell on Instagram. She also plays competitive soccer and will be on the women’s soccer team in college. Lamb enjoys serving her community and has been a member of the Smithfield City Youth Council for three years. She also serves on the Cache Cup Youth Committee, her church youth group, and the Sky View Boys and Girls Association.
After reviewing all of the applications this year, UPEA had a hard time narrowing it down to three. The Association felt a fourth candidate should also receive an award, and Mountain America was generous enough to offer another $500 scholarship to Kilee Lamb.
Lamb worked hard to graduate from high school with a 4.0 GPA, while taking concurrent enrollment and honor classes. She continued her academic success at Dixie, where she is currently studying business administration with an emphasis in accounting. Lamb maintains a 3.95 GPA even while managing her own art and design business and playing competitive soccer. She was granted a scholarship to Dixie to play women’s soccer and has served as team captain. The team has given her the opportunity to volunteer at youth soccer camps, teach soccer to special needs children, and referee youth games. She also helped to plan and organize the Alzheimer’s walk on campus that raised more than $18,000.
UPEA was impressed by the applications it received, and looks forward to seeing the continued growth of this scholarship opportunity.
Thank you to everyone who applied.