BHS senior Aimee Schulz learned recently that she had been selected as one of only nine regional winners of a National Honor Society (NHS) scholarship in the entire nation.
The press release from the NHS reads as follows: “Aimee Schulz, a senior and member of the national honor Society (NHS) at Becker High School, has been named one of nine regional winners of a national Honor Society Scholarship from the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). A total of 200 NHS finalists were first chosen from among nearly 6,800 applicants. From the 200 finalists, 53 state winners were selected. Nine regional winners were identified from these 53. Each regional winner receives a $3,000 college scholarship.”
“We are proud to recognize Aimee for her outstanding achievements and contributions to her school,” said Ann Postlewaite, NASSP student programs director. “Students nominated for the NHS scholarship not only demonstrate academic excellence, but also extraordinary performance in service, leadership and character – traits that are more important today than ever before,” she said.
Schulz was informed of her scholarship just last week, she said. She was originally nominated for the award by BHS science teacher Missie Olson, and is the first BHS student to have reached this level in the NHS scholarship program. In addition to being nominated, the applicant must have a written review from a teacher and their school principal that describes their performance as a role model and their leadership activities in school.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Schulz also finds time to be a mentor to younger students, mentoring seventh-graders at the Becker Middle School in the areas of mathematics and English. That experience has given her an insight into the real work teachers do, she said, and she finds herself “in awe” of the seventh-grade teachers she has worked with.
In addition to her school activities, Schulz is an accomplished horsewoman, having won many prizes at all levels of equestrian competition. She is also very passionate about the Hooved Animal Rescue program, fostering and finding homes for horses, donkeys and other animals in addition to her work in the show ring. She also started a fund-raising program called “Pocket Change for Ponies” that also helps to fund her rescue work, which was also part of a major model horse show she organized recently at the Becker Baptist Church.
Next fall, Schulz will begin her studies at Iowa State University at Ames, where she will begin the study of genetics with an eye on a research career, which would very likely require both a Masters and PhD going forward. Typically, she has the travel time between Becker and Ames logged on her smart phone, which the GPS reveals is four hours and forty-three minutes.
She will not be leaving her passion for horses behind, she said, as she has already found a suitable stable for “Lulu,” her prize-winning miniature horse, who will reside only seven miles from the campus this fall.
Summer plans include showing horses at a variety of venues, including 4-H and the Sherburne County Fair, and possibly a national horse show in the fall. She will also continue her fostering role, and is hoping to find a job during her senior summer.
Aimee has been a student in the Becker system K-12, and has always lived on the family farm in Becker Township. She is the daughter of Mike and Jackie Schulz.
