Club Announces Scholarship Finalists

Club Announces Scholarship Finalists
Barnett	Corley	George	Keiser	Kirkpatrick	Zagrzecki

Six Houston-area high school students have been selected as finalists for The OU Club of Houston 2014-15 scholarship awards. They are:

• Blake Barnett, Home-schooled
• Caroline Corley, The Woodlands High School
• Oluwadara George, Second Baptist High School
• Derielle Keiser, Cypress Woods High School
• Lillian Kirkpatrick, St. Agnes Academy
• Ryan Zagrzecki, Stephen F Austin High School

"We had another outstanding group of applicants," said Club scholarship committee chair Dan Boz. "Virtually every candidate put together a compelling list of achievements. If the University of Oklahoma can corral all of these students, Houston Sooners can be proud of the contingent set to represent the Class of '18 in Norman."

For the first time, The Club has recognized a home-schooled student, Blake Barnett, as a finalist.

"I have found that the strong academic base provided by that educational model is a huge benefit to me," Barnett said in his application. His mother, Brenda, is an online math teacher. In addition to completing his high school requirements this spring, Barnett also has been enrolled in a dual-credit program at Lone Star College and will be entering OU in the fall already having completed more than 40 hours of college credit.

Caroline Corley of The Woodlands High School will arrive as a freshman at OU as a Non-Resident Merit Scholar. Corley, captain of the Highlanders cheer squad, plans to study Studio Art and Art History in college. "For 18 years I've been inspired by the David Phelp's sculpture in The Woodlands," Corley said in her application. "When I saw another of his works outside the OU art building, I knew OU provided the right path for me."

Dara George of Second Baptist High School has her sites set on a future in the medical profession. "Growing up around those involved in the medical field," George said in her application, "I have always dreamed of one day becoming a doctor." George served as president of the Second Baptist Spanish Club her senior year and also played on the Eagles volleyball team.

Derielle Keiser from Cypress Woods High School also intends to take a Pre-Med path at OU. "My high school years have been filled with love of service, and I can't wait to be able to i involve service in ever aspect of my career," she wrote in her application. Keiser totaled more than 300 hours of volunteer service to the National Charity League through 16 different local philanthropies. She also tallied an SAT score of 1870.

"I've had my heart set on attending The University of Oklahoma for several years," Lillian Kirkpatrick wrote in her scholarship application. At St. Agnes Academy, Kirkpatrick captained the lacrosse team both her junior and senior years. Her volunteer experience is vast, including time spent with the National Charity League and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Ryan Zagrzecki posted a composite score of 33 on his ACT test. Not bad for a budding journalist. Zagrzecki was sports editor of the Stephen F Austin High School newspaper and has consistently earned top honors in 5A UIL news-writing competitions. He's attended the Houston Chronicle Summer High School Journalism Workshop and earned an Outstanding Achievement in Journalism award from the local newspaper.

Next up for each of the finalists, video interviews to be posted to The Club website and Facebook page next week.

Ultimately, The Club will present two scholarship awards in the amount of $1,000 per year for four years. The OU Foundation matches that total, raising the value of each scholarship to $8,000.

Recipients will be announced on June 9.