FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Alexis Treesh of Prairie Heights High School in LaGrange, Indiana, has been named the recipient of the 2020 University of Saint Francis Pay It Forward Scholarship.
The full-tuition scholarship to USF has a value of more than $135,000 and is awarded annually by the university to an incoming student who represents going above and beyond to serve others and “pay it forward.” Alexis was selected after submitting an essay, reaching the finalists stage and being profiled in a feature video by WANE-TV.
Alexis was awarded the scholarship during a virtual meeting Tuesday afternoon. USF President Rev. Dr. Eric Albert Zimmer presented the award, along with WANE’s Terra Brantley.
The other finalists, Megan Miller of Concordia Lutheran High School and Carly Turner of East Noble High School, will receive half-tuition scholarships. There were 139 Pay It Forward applicants.
Alexis, who plans to study nursing, wrote in her essay about working with Sole Hope, an organization dedicated to helping provide shoes for people in Uganda to stave off parasites. She also works with the Therapeutic Riding Center of Steuben County, which helps individuals with physical, cognitive or emotional challenges.
“I am determined to continue services with both Sole Hope and TRCSC through college and my adult life,” Treesh wrote. “Furthermore, I will pay my gift of giving forward especially to those in need so that they have a support system for success. This is my way of thanking God for the gift he has given me.”
Previous USF Pay It Forward winners were Maria Solis from Bishop Luers High School, Kevin Brown from Adams Central High School and Crystal Grunawalt from Concordia Lutheran High School.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences, and Business and College of Adult and Distance Education. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 18 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.