The two Missouri NIAAA Scholarship Essay winners for 2020 were seniors Hannah Pomerenke, of Marshall High School, and Mason Gray, of Lee’s Summit West.
A news release says both student-athletes had outstanding essays, athletic credentials and an outstanding record of civic duty. Their athletic directors spoke highly of their ability to give back to their community, and of their devotion to other organizations within, and outside of, the school.
Pomerenke has a 4.13 GPA and is ranked first in her class of 170 students. She scored a 26 on her ACT. Her scholastic honors include: “A” Honor roll and Academic All-Conference for tennis, basketball and track. She also was inducted into the National Honor Society.
Pomerenke’s athletic participation includes: tennis for four years (four-time conference champion; four-time all-district; two-time state qualifier); basketball for four years (all conference); track three years (three-time all-conference; and two-time all-district).
Marshall High School athletic director Kristen Niemeyer says, “Hannah is highly regarded throughout our school and community as a whole. Whether it is for consistently being towards the top of her class in GPA, or achieving success in one of her many athletic endeavors, she serves as a great ambassador for our school and community.”
Pomerenke and Gray will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the MIAAA. They presented their essays via an MIAAA Zoom meeting with Athletic Directors from across the state on April 30. The zoom meeting took the place of the normally-scheduled Spring Athletic Director’s conference awards banquet, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their essays will go on to compete for an additional $1,500 scholarship at the NIAAA Section V meeting. Their essays will be competing with the scholarship winners from Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. The Section V winners move on to compete for the $2,500 NIAAA national scholarship later in the summer of 2020.