2 local students awarded Abilities Plus $1,000 scholarships

Mike Helenthal, Star Courier
·1 min read
From left are Lauren Dynes-Gillespie, Abilities Plus director of development; Samantha Kida and Ally Celus, scholarship recipients; Sue Herridge, Marilyn Carpenter, and Tracy Thorp, members of the Scholarship Selection Committee; and Kim Walker, Abilities Plus executive director.
From left are Lauren Dynes-Gillespie, Abilities Plus director of development; Samantha Kida and Ally Celus, scholarship recipients; Sue Herridge, Marilyn Carpenter, and Tracy Thorp, members of the Scholarship Selection Committee; and Kim Walker, Abilities Plus executive director.

Abilities Plus has announced two new recipients of their $1,000 Jean German Academic Scholarships, which are funded by generous donations each year through the agency’s endowment program.

This year’s scholarship recipients are Samantha Kida of Kewanee and Ally Celus of Annawan.

Kida is a graduate student with the American College of Education and is currently a Special Education teacher at Geneseo with the Henry-Stark Regional Office of Education.

Celus graduated from Annawan High School in 2022 and is pursuing her bachelor’s at Monmouth College where she will be studying Elementary Education and has a career goal of working as an elementary teacher at a smaller school, like Annawan.

The scholarships, named in memory of agency founder and long-time supporter Jean German, are given annually to local students pursuing degrees in a human service field, with career goals of working with individuals with disabilities.

This article originally appeared on Star Courier: 2 local students awarded Abilities Plus $1,000 scholarships