2021 Scholarship Winners
Every year Frontier Girls gives away three continuing education scholarships. We deliberately do not call them college scholarships as not every girl decides to go to college. Instead we simply encourage winners to use the money to continue their education in some way.
Past recipients have used the money not only for college tuition, but for travel, computers, camera equipment, sewing equipment and more. I am pleased to present this year’s winners.
Abby Olson Award – $1,000
Winner: Hannah Lundquist, Troop 159, Colorado
Ā (Photo:Ā Hannah Lundquist on the left with her mom, Katie Lundquist, and and sister, Megan Lundquist)
(Must earn both the Diamond Award and the Eagle Level WOW! award)
Hannah Lundquist has been a Frontier Girl for nearly 10 years. She not only earned the Diamond award and multiple WOW! awards at the Eagle level, but has continued on with Frontier Girls after graduating to earn several awards as an Owl including a WOW! award. As a Frontier Girls co-leader Hannah has also earned the Discovery award, Liberty award and Life Skills award for leading younger girls through these awards.
Hannah continues to serve her community and has put in countless hours of community service at Quaker Ridge Camp. She also still volunteers whenever possible as a co-leader for troop #159, and works on troop service projects from home even though she doesnāt live in town anymore. Hannah also volunteered with Salvation Army bell ringing and events with the local VFW post 101 and has been a volunteer coach for the homeschool soccer league.
Here is Hannah’s essay for this year. Our congratulations to her for being an outstanding role model for other Frontier Girls.
“If I am being honest, which I am, I do not feel like I should earn the scholarship. That being said it does not mean I wouldnāt love to win one! I use the scholarships in a way to show the rest of the girls in Frontier Girls that if you keep going and reaching for what you really want in life you can achieve it. My goal is not to show that I am better than anyone else but to show that hard work can get you to the place you desire.
Frontier Girls has been a very amazing program for me. I never really liked talking to people but being in Frontier Girls has helped me to get out of my comfort zone. I love helping with the younger kids and seeing the younger shy ones becoming more open, and participating more and more. If I won a scholarship I would use the money to help our troop get some more camping gear to help all the girls experience camping in the way it should be.
Frontier Girls is very amazing, it helped me so much! I am now working at an amazing camp which I donāt think I would be here if it wasnāt for Frontier Girls and the things I learned. I love that there is an opportunity when you age out to continue earning badges and helping teach and share the knowledge that I have learned from being in the other levels.”
Megan Lundquist Award – $500
Winner – Christina Helmbold, Troop 101, California
(Must earn a WOW! Award at the Eagle or Owl level)
This particular winner is near and dear to my heart. Christina Helmbold is a member of Troop #101, the founding troop of Frontier Girls, and someone I have been blessed to see grow from a shy quiet child to a confident inspiring adult. When I had to take a leave of absence from leading our troop to care for my mom, Christina was one of the girls who stepped up to lead when none of the parents were willing to take on the role. She truly lives our motto, “If you see a need, take the lead.”
Christina also worked with me in the office as our Order manager and anyone who has been in the program for longer than a year has had badges made by her. Her work ethic and attention to detail made her an great employee, and her constant optimism brought joy to the office.
Here is Christina’s essay for this year. Our congratulations to her for truly living our motto and showing other girls the possibilities of this program.
” If You See a Need, Take the Lead
During the school year every second and fourth Tuesday, starting eleven years ago in second grade, Iād don a light blue shirt and a dark blue skirt, which over the years changed to a white shirt and blue jeans, but what did not change was the bright red vest declaring me a member of troop 101. Since that first day, I have endeavored to be faithful to our motto, “If you see a need, take the lead.” This has required out-of-my-comfort-zone action, but each time, it was worth the effort to do what was right. Most of the time, Iād rather follow than lead. I want to sit in the back row, be the last in line, and talk the least. Then I see a moment that needs a leader, needs someone to stand up, needs someone to move, and I think of the Frontier Girl motto and step forward.
For a year I stepped up with three other Eagles to lead our small troop because no one else could. We each took a few requirements, researched them, prepared how we were going to present them and in what order. Our troop was small at the time, but we had a lot of fun and made many memories that year. Over my time in Frontier Girls, I played many leadership roles other than co-leader, including Patrol Leader, Leader in Training, and Scribe. I also led our Tall Flag team multiple times so we didnāt have to cancel when our leader couldnāt come. There were moments when the last thing I wanted to do was stand in front everybody and speak, drawing attention to myself, but I had to be responsible and follow through with our motto. Two of my duties as a Leader in Training included leading the flag ceremony and songs. After the serious part of the meeting, the flag ceremony, we formed a circle, whether of twenty girls or six, and sang and played games. I found this time much different when all the girls were watching me for the lyrics, tune, and hand motions. As one of the older girls, I was constantly aware that the other girls were watching me to figure out what to do. My words, behaviors, and actions affected the troop and it was hard to adjust to that as I used to be one of the younger ones looking up to the Eagles. Suddenly, I was the Eagle. But as the time went on, it became easier as I continually learned how to be a better and stronger leader. I worked to be a good role model and positive influence for the girls so that they could rely on and trust in me.
Volunteering at a local museum was another significant part of my high school life, and most of my servants hearts came from helping at their programs and camps, facilitating stations, and serving at events. I was a shift leader of a small team and we made a difference in everything we undertook. Just as it required time to adjust to leading the flag ceremony and songs, it took me awhile to be a good shift-leader. I realized I was being watched in this situation just as much as in our troop meetings. I was the role model and the person to follow. Despite being the example, I had little to no confidence. That is, until I saw a need. When I noticed a need, and knew what to do, I was confident. I didnāt recognize it at the time, but looking back, I can see the anthem replaying in my head, “If you see a need, take the lead.” My supervisors relied and depended on me, knowing I could and would keep my team moving efficiently, working diligently, and behaving properly. My foundation of leadership skills grew and strengthened as I lead, made mistakes, and lead again. Gradually, my confidence expanded. I wasnāt always the perfect paragon, but I did my best and diligently worked to make my best better so I would be a worthy guide for the ones watching in the present and in the future.
My last two years of high school I worked as an Order Manager at Frontier Girl headquarters. My job was receiving and filling out orders, making badges from start to finish, and doing other odd jobs like stocking inventory or various computer work. I had no one under me nor did I really work with anyone, but it was a leadership role in the way that I had to lead myself. There were many days when I was the only one in the office or if there was someone else, we were doing completely different things. Because of this, I had to keep myself accountable and responsible for my own work ethic and motivation. I worked hard, productively and efficiently as possible, catching my mistakes and fixing them, and using my time to the best of my ability. I knew my work affected Frontier Girl and Quest families around the nation and wanted that effect to be a positive one. After making thousands of badges, I became inspired to earn my own. I began earning badges steadily as the weeks progressed and soon the WOW award became a possibility. Iāve always dreamed of the hundred badge feat as I watched girls like Abby Olson fill up her vest and hearing about Megan Lundquist and others achieving the rare Eagle award. I had once thought it impossible, but as I punched the white ringed Eagle badges, I wondered, if they could do it, couldnāt I? I returned home after my shift inspired and ready for a challenge. Soon, the knowledge that each badge contained piled up in my brain. It was rewarding to say the least to walk into headquarters and make my badges from start to finish that I had earned over the last months.
Now, I am a college level Owl. I used what I had earned working and saving to pay for my first semester at a private Christian university. Being a student has occupied much of my time, but Iāve tried to find ways to be the mini-leader that Frontier Girls taught me to be. In my dorm, Iāve adhered to our motto, “If you see a need, take the lead,” whether it is cleaning up the shared living space, holding open doors, picking up things others dropped, or attempting to comfort and support my fellow stressed and overwhelmed college students. Iāve written letters to firefighters with a class group, reminding me of our soldier letters we colored and wrote before each Frontier Girls meeting. I also have volunteered at church events, working and interacting mainly with kids, continuing to grow my leadership skills and servantās heart.
My purpose in furthering my education is to continue honing my writing skills and to gain the business skills necessary to bring my work to the public. Pursuing a business degree and writing classes, my goal is to learn how to reach people with my passion for upright behavior and never ceasing wonder. There is a distinct lack of teaching in the moral sector and life has lost its joy and wonder for many ages. “If you see a need, take the lead.” There is a great need for ethics and hope, but few modern authors and businesses are standing up to the challenge. Inspiring character, morals, and values are some of the main goals of my outreach. Too often the importance of ethical behavior is lost and no longer required at Godās standard. I am finding college a training ground and perfect practice field to circulate joy, be a leader, and serve others, even if in small ways. My mission is that my future employees, customers, and readers will recognize these forgotten values in my environment and work, internalize them, and live by them, reflecting them forward to the people they meet, as Frontier Girls did for me every other Tuesday. The continuing education scholarship money would go towards paying my way in a private college to graduate with my degree without the heavy burden of debt to swim through before being able to use my degree to reach others.
Thank you for your time reading this essay and considering me for the Megan Lundquist award.”
Charlotte Duke Award – $500
Winner: Elizabeth Vicory, Pioneer, Arizona
(Must earn either the Diamond or Gray Diamond award)
I have had the honor of knowing Beth since she joined Frontier Girls at age 8. She is one of my personal heroes and I have seldom seen a person with her persistence. She embraces life with a rare enthusiasm and passionately pursues a wide variety of interests. Beth never lets obstacles stand her way. After being hit by a drunk driver and suffering a traumatic brain injury a couple of years ago, she did not let that stop her. Instead, in spite of ongoing health issues, she has worked even harder to set and meet goals.
She works diligently in her community raising money for a 9/11 Memorial plaque, conducting food drives, book drives, toiletries drives and working as a library volunteer and Zoo Teen.
Here is Beth’s essay for this year. Our congratulations to her for showing other girls that persistence and diligence will help you reach your goals.
“The application asks why I deserve the scholarship, and I canāt answer that. I canāt say that I am better than someone else. I canāt say that my community service warrants a reward, or that because I have autism, my efforts are more valuable than those of other members.
I donāt deserve the scholarship because Iām not the kind of person that wants everything in the world, but I wonāt refuse the scholarship if it is given to me. I believe that serving my community and trying my best at whatever I do is just something a person should do, not a reason to ādeserveā something.
I would like the scholarship because this summer I will be going to Nashville for the Miss Amazing National pageant. I will be able to practice public speaking, meet people from different backgrounds than mine, and traveling by car to explore our country. We will be meeting fellow Frontier Girls along the way. We are hoping to see many Civil War sites, the NASA Space Center in Houston, and the Will Rogers Museum in Oklahoma, among other wonderful places. I will see first-hand where Kennedy was shot, where Martin Luther King led peaceful marches for equal rights, where slavery died, and where America stretched out her arms and touched the moon.
Expanding my horizons and collecting experiences: that is why I would like the scholarship, but I donāt deserve it. Iām sure that there are other people that deserve the scholarships, but this essay is not about them, itās about me.”