Students honored for their Community Contributions
Four students from the Naperville area received scholarships from the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) in the amount of $1500 each. The NUEA annually gives three scholarships to high school seniors who are children of NUEA members, and one scholarship to an undergraduate child of an NUEA member who is pursuing a career in education. Scholarships are awarded based on extracurricular participation and contributions to the community. These scholarships were awarded in May 2021.
The high-school scholarship recipients are Madeline Sniadecki from Naperville Central High School, Zack Stokes from Waubonsie Valley High School, and Samantha Weigel from Naperville Central High School. The undergraduate scholarship winner is Kayla Hoffmann from Judson University in Elgin, Illinois.
The NUEA scholarships were created by certified staff in District 203 through their union to recognize outstanding contributions among area high school seniors. The scholarships are funded by member dues and represent a small portion of the local support NUEA provides the community through scholarships, volunteerism, and charitable giving.
Madeline Sniadecki – High School Senior
Madeline Sniadecki will be attending the University of Iowa majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. While at Naperville Central High School, Maddie has been a leader in all aspects of student life. Maddie participated in cross-country, track, soccer, and basketball, serving as a captain of the cross-country team her senior year. She also participated in the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. She was a member of the Student Advisory Council and served as an Executive Board member and Chairwoman for the Mr. NCHS committee.
Outside of school, Maddie has been a confirmation retreat leader and youth group member at Saint Raphael Church. She partnered with WaterStep her junior year to organize a shoe drive at Naperville Central. She collected over 200 pairs of shoes which were resold to provide money for a filtration system for clean water in a small village in Africa.
Zack Stokes – High School Senior
Zack Stokes will be attending the University of West Florida to study accounting and play baseball. Zack carefully balances his time between his church community and his school community. He has served as a member of his high-school church youth group and as a volunteer for vacation bible school, Feed My Starving Children, and the middle school youth group. Zack traveled with his youth group to Colorado on a mission trip to help less privileged individuals find success in life.
Zack has played baseball on various traveling teams since he was nine years old and has been a member of the Waubonsie Valley Baseball Team for all four years of high school. He also worked as a lifeguard during the summers.
At Waubonsie Valley High School, Zack was chosen as a student leader for the LINK Leadership Team. As a team member, he met weekly to help Freshman acclimate to the high-school environment. Zack used his own experiences to help create a positive example for others to follow.
Samantha Weigel – High School Senior
This fall, Samantha will be attending Grand Valley State University to swim and study Elementary Education. Samantha is a highly decorated swimmer at Naperville Central High School, but she also finds time to participate as a LINK Leader and Commissioner and as a member of the National Honor Society. Samantha also earned the Silver Award as a Girl Scout Cadette her Freshman year. She is a PE student leader, swim teacher, and lifeguard in the summers.
Samantha’s swim career is just starting, but already impressive. She participated as a swimmer at Naperville Central High School for four years, earning varsity letters each year. She also was an Academic All-Conference Athlete, state qualifier, and national qualifier for three years.
Kayla Hoffmann- Undergraduate Future in Education Award
Kayla will be a junior at Judson University in Elgin, IL for the fall 2021 school year studying Elementary Education with an LBS1 endorsement. She just completed her second practicum this past semester in a 4/5 split classroom where she spent over 50 hours working with some amazing students and building confidence in her teaching skills. She was admitted into Kappa Delta Pi (International Honors Society in Education) and named to the KDP officers as the Event Coordinator for Judson University. Kayla has loved working with children since she was young and gives credit to many of the inspirational teachers that she had growing up in District 203 attending Elmwood, Lincoln, and NCHS.
Her passion to make a difference in the lives of children was strengthened as she volunteered from 7th through 12th grade for over 500 hours mentoring elementary students at her church. Teaching in the Redhawk Preschool for Early Childhood Education and at Maplebrook Elementary School for the “Introduction to Teaching 2” class gave Kayla a unique opportunity to experience teaching firsthand.