2016 Scholarship Recipients
A springtime tradition, the Willa Cather Foundation is pleased to announce the 2016 recipients of the Norma Ross Walter and Antonette Willa Skupa Turner scholarships. Ashley Morrison of Millard South High School received the Antonette Willa Skupa Turner Scholarship. Recipients of the Norma Ross Walter Scholarship included Kathleen Walenta of Omaha Central High School; Sarah Niemeier of Heartland Lutheran High School; and Abigail Richling also of Heartland Lutheran High School.
The scholarship award recognition took place as part of the 61st annual Willa Cather Spring Conference. Each of the four recipients, having graduated from a Nebraska high school in May, delivered an original essay on Cather’s work, written as part of the extensive application process of the scholarships.
Since 1987, the Willa Cather Foundation has awarded over 50 scholarships totaling more than $156,000 through the Norma Ross Walter Scholarship and Antonette Willa Skupa Turner scholarship programs.
The Norma Ross Walter Scholarship fund was established through a generous bequest from Norma Ross Walter, a lifelong fan of Cather’s work, a frequent visitor to Red Cloud, and a firm believer in education for young women.
The Antonette Willa Skupa Turner Scholarship fund was established in 2012 by Antonette Willa Skupa Turner, granddaughter of Anna Sadilek Pavelka. The scholarship honors Pavelka, the prototype and inspiration for Ántonia Shimerda Cuzak, the eponymous character in Cather’s novel.
The scholarship winners and the Willa Cather Foundation owe a debt of gratitude to the generous supporters who make these awards possible. Our scholarship efforts have impacted the lives of many talented young people and are a fundamental part of our educational mission.
For more information about the scholarship programs or to support the scholarship fund, please contact Tracy Tucker, Education Director, at 402-746-2653 or ttucker@willacather.org. Application forms for 2017 are available online and annual deadlines are January
31 and February 28, respectively.