Linn-Mar’s Lia Scharnau, Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Joseph Olesen win Daughters of the American Revolution’s State Good Citizens Awards

Two high school students in Linn County have won this year’s State Good Citizens Award at the Iowa Daughter’s of the American Revolution convention held on April 22.

Lia Scharnau of Linn-Mar High School and Joseph Olesen of Kennedy High School were named state winners during the Annual DAR Awards Banquet in Des Moines. One female and one male student are recognized for this award each year, and this is the first time the state winners are both from the Cedar Rapids area.

The DAR Good Citizens Scholarship program, created in 1934, encourages and rewards the qualities of good citizenship from among high school seniors. Qualities sought in the students are dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism.

Scharnau is the daughter of Susan Scharnau Schultejans and the late Greg Scharnau. She plans to enter Bowdoin College in Maine to pursue a double major in biology and creative writing. She eventually plans to get a masters and doctorate in genetics to become a genetic counselor, specializing in cancer.

Olesen is the son of Janet and Andrew Oleson. He has completed the congressional nomination applications for the United States Military Academy at West Point and is currently awaiting results. At West Point, he will double major in strategic defense and global strategy with plans to make a career in the military.

Scharnau and Olesen were among the six District winners honored at the state level. In total, there were 104 DAR Good Citizens recognized in Iowa this year, with 89 of those students participating in the scholarship portion of the program.

State winners move on to national competition.