Six high school students will be recognized for their continued involvement in leadership and community activities during this year’s Veishea celebration.

The six students, Allison Duchman, Allison Jaycox, Alexandra Olivares, Stephanie Tupper, Zachary McCarthy and Kyler Gifford, received Veishea scholarships to help with tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year.

“The scholarship takes into consideration how much work they did in high school other than their grades,” said Brittany Petrick, freshman in mechanical engineering and Spanish and chairwomen for the Veishea scholarship committee.

The scholars will be recognized during the official Veishea opening ceremonies Friday on Central Campus, with a ride in the parade Saturday, and will take part in other Veishea events.

Select ISU students will serve as mentors for the scholars during their visit to campus. The recipients will be fully immersed in ISU activities as they will have the opportunity to live in greek houses or the residence halls.

Petrick, a recipient of a 2009 Veishea Leadership Scholarship, said she lived in Larch Hall during her visit to Iowa State, and fondly remembers her first visit to Veishea when she was only a high school student.

“It really helped me to get to know campus a little bit better,” she said. “I got to experience life as a student and get to know what life would really be like.”

Petrick said that the other Veishea scholars and her became close friends by the end of the celebration.

“They were my first ISU friends,” she said.

To be eligible for one of the scholarships, applicants had to rank in the upper 15 percent of their high school class, have an ACT score of at least 26 or SAT score of at least 1800, be involved in high school and community events — with particular emphasis placed on leadership positions, — and have been accepted to attend Iowa State beginning in fall 2010.

Sawyer Baker, sophomore in political science, was awarded a $500 Veishea scholarship during Veishea 2009.

As part of the requirements of the scholarship, Baker attended Veishea events during the weekend.

“It was definitely that weekend that made me feel like I was making the right decision to come to Iowa State,” Baker said.

She said she had visited Iowa State as part of a Greek Getaway weekend, but this was her first Veishea experience.

“It was an eye-opening experience seeing everything, especially the traditions,” she said of Veishea.

Baker said she ate cherry pies, and was able to ring the carillon bells of the Campanile.

She said she remembers meeting Tom Hill, vice president for student affairs, Jon Turk, former GSB president, ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and other leaders on campus.

“I felt [like] a part of the ISU community even before I came here as a student in the fall,” Baker said.

2010 Veishea Scholarship

recipients:

$1,000 Doug Harms Leadership Scholarship

Allison Duchman

$500 Veishea Leadership Scholarship

Allison Jaycox

Alexandra Olivares

Stephanie Tupper

$500 Veishea Community Involvement Scholarship

Zachary McCarthy

Kyler Gifford