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Top students showcase projects Saturday
News · October 16, 2014


Fifteen high school seniors from across Iowa have each earned a $1,000 cash award for their work on a special project this summer.


On Saturday, Oct. 18, they’ll present their work before a panel of judges and three will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship to the college or university of their choice.

The presentations are open to the public and begin at 9 a.m. in the Figge Auditorium at the Hoover Presidential Library-Museum.

They will run every 20 minutes until complete, with a break for lunch. All awards will be presented at the conclusion of the presentations.

Students apply for the program in their junior year by submitting a proposal for a project showing entrepreneurship, community or humanitarian service, conservation, or special use of technology.

The 15 finalists then spend the summer working their projects and recording results. They are scored entirely on the merits of their work. Grades, test scores and financial need are not evaluated.

This year’s 15 finalists and their projects include: Emma Baker, West Liberty, Summer Reading Program for At-Risk Readers; Ashley Brown, Wapello, Hope From Within; Catelyn Graham, Grinnell, Intergenerational Relationship Enrichment; Caleb Hoffman, Muscatine, Helping Students ‘Catch a Vision’ for Their Future; Lexington Kennard, Ankeny, The Development of Teens Against Human Trafficking Team Curriculum & Handbook; Miranda Liebsack, Paullina, Stay Strong & Carry On; Ankur Parupally, Cedar Rapids, Water Filtration Education; Paige Plate, Nevada, Painting our Town; Shalini Raichur, Muscatine, Blankets for Babes; Erica Ramirez, Columbus Junction, Cultural Connections: The Bridge; Riley Ries, Vinton, Operation Backpack; Lucia Ruppert, Norwalk, The Adventures of Lucy and Lulu; Megan Slattery, Calamus, Putting Mockridge Back on the Map; Elliot Suiter, Johnston, Harnessing the Wind; Jena Van Marel, Sheldon, Glimpse of Change

The panel will include: Helen Howe, Trustee Emeritus and former USA committee member, Muscatine; Senator Robert Dvorsky, Coralville; Patricia Hand, Academic Programs Manager (Ret.) Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, Iowa City; Taylor Stout, 2007 Uncommon Student, Muscatine; Cynthia Fobian Willham, Ph.D., chair, Communication Consultant and Adjunct Professor, Henry B. Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, West Des Moines; and Gov. Robert Ray, Honorary Co-Chair, former Iowa Governor and Trustee, Hoover Presidential Foundation, Des Moines