FAIRFAX, VA – The National Rifle Association awarded 10 gifted students scholarships totaling more than $12,000 during the 11th annual Youth Education Summit (YES), held June 18-25 in Washington D.C. Two students were also awarded a hunting trip of their choice that was donated (and will be filmed) by “Livin’ the Good Life,” a hunting-focused television program.
Over 40 distinguished sophomores and juniors traveled from all across the U.S. for an extensive experience into the Second Amendment and its role in the operation of our federal government. At the conclusion of the summit, the scholarships and the hunting trips were awarded to the students who best represented the values of the NRA and showed an active interest in national politics.
Scholarships of $1,500 included:
· Richard F. Clemons, 17, Berwick, PA
· Caroline Cox, 16, Southern Pines, NC
· Sunjay Gorawara, 16, Buffalo Grove, IL
· Kyle Macfarlan, 17, Siloam Springs, AR
· Kameron M. Sandy, 16, Ocala, FL
Scholarships of $1,000 included:
· Petra Anderson, 16, Aurora, CO
· Robert Bodron, 17, Fayetteville, GA
· Daniel Dymarkowski, 16, Wauseon, OH
· Lisa Fong, 16, Honolulu, HI
· Fontaine M. Graham, 16, Butler, PA
The winners of an all-expense paid hunt went to 17-year-olds Amanda Elsenboss of Woodbury, CT, and Scott D. Thomas of Poca, WV.
“When they first told us the morning of the banquet that two of us were going to win an all- expense paid hunting trip to anywhere we wanted I couldn’t contain myself,” Thomas said. “Once I found that I was one of the people chosen I thought, ‘WOW! This has to be a dream.’”
NRA staff members – who examined how each student performed throughout the week – chose the winners of the scholarships. The essays that students submitted during their initial application were also considered in the selection process.
Students were selected for the YES program after a highly competitive applications process. The chosen received an expense-paid week of touring the nation’s capital and exploring the United States government and constitutional history, with an emphasis on the Second Amendment. Stops at various monuments, the Supreme Court and the Capitol Building were included in their busy schedule. One day was also set aside for recreational shooting with NRA Certified instructors, and another for a visit to the Marines Corps Base in Quantico, VA.
“This week has been absolutely mind blowing,” 16-year-old Katie Stevenson of Wilmington, MA, said. “We all had an amazing time from the memorials, to the bus ride, the day at the military base, and to all of the walking that we did. It was definitely an experience that I’m never going to forget.”
The group’s visit to NRA headquarters also included presentations on some of NRA’s 170-plus different programs. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program®, Youth Shooting Sports Camps, and the Youth Hunter Education Challenge were just a sampling of programs that the students learned.
“I just want to thank the NRA for this wonderful week because I had such a spectacular time,” Cox said. “I think what I learned the most this week was truly what it means to be an American and to learn how to defend our rights and our views.”
Students will now have the chance to compete for additional scholarships of up to $18,000 by demonstrating the knowledge they gained at YES. Such demonstrations may include the conduct of NRA programs, or the promotion of gun safety and marksmanship activities, in their local communities. Since its inception in 1996, YES has awarded over $140,000 in scholarships.
For more information on the NRA Youth Education Summit, call (703) 267-1353 or log onto www.nrafoundation.org/yes.
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