SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. – Seventeen Western Nebraska Community College students received scholarships recently from a $5,000 grant for the Thomas D. Buckley Trust.

Those students awarded scholarships studied basic nursing assistance, information technology, licensed practical nursing, and general studies at WNCC over the last academic year. Earning scholarships were Kristy Kokjer, Josh Baker, Cynthia Lojek, Alexandra Biberos, Emma Sherman, George Taylor, Camryn Thompson, Amanda Martin Scott, Audrey Juelfs, Yoselin Parra, Mattea Scheuerman, Holly McCook, Kaitlyn Christofferson, Reiley Eutsler, Precious Griffin, Kathryn Buette, and Christopher Grubbs.

Scholarships, which ranged from $150 to $350, are meant to aid WNCC students with tuition and fees.

Christofferson, a 2018 Sidney High School graduate, was grateful for the $330 scholarship she received through the grant, which paid for a basic nursing assistant class with WNCC during her senior year at Sidney High School.

“It helped pay for the college class I was taking during high school, so I don’t have to worry about paying for that,” she said. “So that was really nice.”

Now, Christofferson plans to continue studying nursing with WNCC this fall.

The Thomas D. Buckley Trust is a private foundation created in memory of Thomas D. Buckley, a man who spent most of his life as a farmer in Chappell until his death in 1979. According to the official website, the trust “provides resources for the needs of eligible, tax-exempt organizations in the communities in the Panhandle of Western Nebraska and in Northeastern Colorado.” 

The trust awards $20,000 annually to students who have graduated from high schools in western Nebraska and northern Colorado and are currently enrolled in college seeking an associate or bachelor’s degree. To learn more about the Thomas D. Buckley Trust, please visit thomasbuckleytrust.com.