dolly ahrens achievement scholarship
Click here to download the Dolly Ahrens Scholarship Application.

Since 1994, the Dolly Ahrens Scholarship Achievement Award has awarded 187 scholarships to local Grinnell-Newburg High school seniors. Roughly $468,000 has been awarded to date. Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award recipients have attended a variety of top universities, colleges and technical schools throughout Iowa and the greater United States.

The Dolly Ahrens Scholarship allows graduating seniors from the local area financial assistance for post-secondary tuition, while instilling the importance of Dolly's legacy of community involvement and responsibility.

Some of the schools award recipients have graduated from or are currently attending:

Scholarship Recipient Testimonials
Tara (Miller) Anderson, a 2000 award recipient, Grinnell College/UNI '04: "I thank you for your willingness to give to students in order to facilitate their higher education. Your foundation does great things for the people of the community and I hope this opportunity will still be here for my children."

James Nowasell, a 2005 award recipient and ‘09 graduate of Wartburg College, regarding the role of the scholarship in the pursuit of his college education: "This award helped considerably from a financial aspect. A college education is expensive and every dollar counts. I had to wait for my first semester’s bill before I really appreciated and understood the significance of the Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award."

Shannon May, another past award recipient (2003) and ’07 graduate of Knox College, reports: "Financially, the Dolly Ahrens Award, along with other community awards, significantly helped me start my first year at Knox with minimal loans. And, knowing my community supported and believed in me as I went off to expand my horizons was valuable too."

Past recipients reflect a plethora of academic interests and have majored in fields as diverse as biology, civil engineering, environmental studies, business administration, nursing, elementary education, social work, political science and theater, to name a few. While pursuing their undergraduate education, many of our recipients have found exciting ways to be involved in their campus communities through involvement in academic honor societies or clubs for their majors, varsity sports or intramurals, choral, instrumental or dance ensembles, fraternities or sororities, student government, extracurricular clubs or committees and campus employment. In addition to campus involvement, many of our past recipients have continued to reflect Dolly Ahrens’ legacy and have been active in the larger community through a variety of community service endeavors such as mentoring, tutoring, volunteering through hospital and church networks, as well as participation in service trips.

As Christopher Gallo, a 2010 recipient of the Award, currently attending Grinnell College, states: "After completing my first semester at Grinnell College, [the Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award] has been put to good use. In the last five months, I have had so many experiences that have encouraged me to make a positive change in the world. From learning the value of diversity from my international floor mates, to learning the value of our state’s original landscape and the need for conservation, I have come to realize that the need for change is all around us. And now, I have begun to realize what ‘leaving the world better than you found it’ truly means."

After receiving their diploma, award recipients have continued to follow their diverse career interests and strong sense of community involvement. Graduates are currently pursuing careers all over the United States, in a variety of fields such as scientific research, business, health sciences, non-profit work, public health, human resources, teaching and acting. Outside of their work responsibilities, past recipients have again shown to be impressive contributors to their community: many recipients have actively served on boards for their community or career fields, volunteered for schools, hospitals, churches or non-profit organizations, coached youth athletics, or been involved in neighborhood arts offerings such as choral ensembles.

In the words of Katie Wehr, a past recipient (2000) and 2004 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University who is currently a program associate at the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation in Princeton, NJ: "[The Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award’s] ethos is something I have carried forward in my professional development and career plans."

As Laura Weigel, a 2010 recipient, currently attending UNI, reiterates: "This award helped me in a large way due to the many expenses of attending college. Attending UNI will give me a great opportunity to pursue my goals for my future. Receiving this award makes me want to give back to the community. If I become a teacher and coach, I think this will be my way of making a difference in the lives of others."

Advice from past Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award recipients:
Marta Andelson, 2010 recipient, Grinnell College ’14:
"Making a difference is easier than you think and 100% more rewarding than just thinking about how you will leave your mark. We need more people in the world who are willing to take one more step in order to put their thoughts into action."

Laura Miller (nee Kriegel), 2001 recipient, UNI ’05:
"The Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award was established to give back and to help others. As you go forward, always remember this gift and give back to others so they know the feeling of receiving generous support from others."

Keri Carstens (nee Deppe), 1997 recipient, Wartburg ’01:
"Being a well-rounded person with lots of interests makes life fun, but also serves you well in many aspects of your life. What makes the Dolly Ahrens Achievement Award unique is that it rewards students for being good, well-rounded people."

Thomas Heineman, 2006 recipient, University of Iowa ’10:
"Getting an education is the best thing anyone can do for themselves. Keep learning!"

Georgia Wright-Simmons, 2008 recipient, Middlebury College ’12:
"College is expensive and it can be a hard adjustment emotionally. When it gets hard, there are two options: go through the motions or embrace it and find things that make you happy. If you do the former, you are paying for a degree—a piece of paper—but if you do the latter, the experience and the knowledge you gain are priceless."

Katie Ditzler, 2008 recipient, Iowa Valley Community College '13:
"I would suggest all high school seniors to not only take the time to fill out the application but also to take the time to learn more about Dolly Ahrens and other areas our community has to offer."

Brandon Mikel, 2010 recipient, Iowa State University ’14:
"Find something you have a passion for and try to use it to help others in need."

Shanna York (nee Swanson), 2002 recipient, Iowa State University ’06:
"It is worth the time that it takes to apply for scholarships. The scholarship application process is good practice for college and for the job application process!"

Tara Rinehart (nee Lidtka), 1995 recipient, Arizona State University ’97:
"Always believe in yourself—you can do anything you put your mind to. Never give up until you have achieved everything you wanted."

Whitney Swick, 2009 recipient, Olivet Nazarene University ’13:
"To the current high school applicants: apply for as many scholarships as possible, even if you think you won’t get it. I was proven wrong and was so surprised with the outcome! It made a wonderful difference in my life!"

Jarrett Thompson, 2010 recipient, Grinnell College ’14:
"Apply- hope for the best- and most of all, work hard, because life is worth it."

Steven Boggess, 2004 recipient, Northwestern College (MN) ’08:
"I appreciated the help and encourage others to do the extra work applying for it."