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National Council on Youth Leadership awards scholarships
$20K in awards go to 41 high school seniors
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CEDAR RAPIDS — The National Council on Youth Leadership has presented just over $20,000 in scholarships to 41 high school seniors in recognition of their leadership qualities.
More than 120 seniors from 13 Cedar Rapids schools were invited to the nonprofit’s 44th annual awards program and training, held in September on the campuses of Coe College, Kirkwood Community College and Mount Mercy University.
The council’s 2024 Outstanding Youth Leaders of the Year are Preston Haefner of Washington High School, winning the $5,000 Jamie Harder Scholarship, and Hannah Hughes of Prairie High School, winning the $5,000 Lura McBride Scholarship.
Other scholarships went to Emma Clabaugh, Kennedy, $1,000 Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust Leader in Excellence; McKane Koch, Prairie, $1,000 Shirley Rissi Family Leader in Excellence; McKenna Knock, Kennedy, $1,000 Lil’ Drug Store Products Leader in Excellence; and Brock Davis, Washington, $1,000 Transamerica/AEGON Leader in Excellence.
The six students also are offered an all-expenses-paid trip to the Washington, D.C., Leadership Experience in partnership with Global Leadership Connection in April 2025.
The awards were presented Sept. 9 at concluding ceremonies in Sinclair Auditorium at Coe.
Carole Harder founded the National Council on Youth Leadership in 1981 in Cedar Rapids. Since then, more than 10,000 students, from 18 Eastern Iowa high schools, have been recognized as outstanding youth leaders.
“Meeting these incredible youth leaders brings hope for our future,” Harder said. “Our main goal is to support and further develop their leadership potential. They are our greatest natural resource.”
Students are nominated for the award and scholarships in the spring of their junior year based on set criteria. They complete an application listing their school and community involvement, answer an essay questions, go through an interview and participate in two days of “Youth Salute” seminars.
Alexandra Harder, cochair of the organization, said the scholarships awarded are “a wonderful bonus,” but the “best thing we give them” is the opportunity to meet other young leaders at the Youth Salutes. ”They will forever carry that bond and understanding that there is a network of like-minded peers cheering them on.,“ she said.
Six students attending this year’s conference received $500 financial scholarships and were invited to the national NCYL conference, Town Meeting on Tomorrow in partnership with St. Louis University next month. They were Mabry Sadler, Benton Community; Kamiyah Elders and Luke Burkamper, both of Washington High; Seijal Bhushan, Linn-Mar; Nicholas Helle, Prairie; and Ella Vaughn, Anamosa.
In addition, four students received $250 Whalen Family Scholarships, and 25 students were recognized with a $100 Ambassador Scholarship.
Service award
NCYL each year also recognizes an adult who is a positive role model, makes a difference and cares about young people,
This year’s honoree is Reese Morgan, who coached football at Benton Community and Iowa City West high schools before spending 19 years as an offensive line and defensive line coach for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.
Gavin McGrath, an NCYL leadership team member, presented the award to Morgan, saying Morgan was a big reason why he chose to play football at Iowa.
The Greater Cedar Rapids Area Council on Youth Leadership is part of the National Council on Youth Leadership. Information on both is available at NCYL.org and http://ncylcedarrapids.org/.
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