Keep Tennessee Beautiful Announces Scholarship Winners
Recipients Representing Three Grand Divisions Of TN Awarded $1000 Each
Franklin, Tenn. (May 7, 2024) – Keep Tennessee Beautiful is pleased to present $1000 scholarships to graduating seniors Samuel McLaurin of Franklin, Mason Platzke of Ripley and Emma Leigh Lockhart of Knoxville, the winners of KTnB’s inaugural Three Grand Divisions Scholarship program.
“This is an exciting moment for our organization,” Executive Director Missy Marshall, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, said. “It is the fulfillment of a dream – to present deserving students with funds to help them embark on their college careers. All three of these students are passionate about giving back and making a difference. We look forward to continuing this program for years to come.”
Proceeds from KTnB’s annual Ready. Set. Grow! 5K event and from the sale of the book, “Nancy and Sluggo Love Tennessee: A Story About Keeping Tennessee Beautiful,” a hard-bound children’s book illustrated and written by Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, help make the scholarships possible.
Franklin’s Samuel McLaurin, a graduate of Independence High School, represents Middle Tennessee. Sam is a volunteer for the Land Trust for Tennessee at Glen Leven Farm and has also volunteered to pick up trash at Trashercise events. He plans to attend Tennessee Technological University.
Mason Platzke, representing West Tennessee, is a graduate of Ripley High School in Ripley, Tenn. In his application, Mason said “Growing up, I was fortunate to experience the wonders of nature through outdoor activities and educational programs. These experiences instilled in me a profound respect for the environment and a desire to become a steward of our natural resources. He will enroll this fall in Austin Peay University.
Emma Lockhart from Knoxville, a graduate of Christian Academy of Knoxville, is representing East Tennessee and plans to stay in her hometown and attend the University of Tennessee. Emma said, “Thinking about the culture and aspirations of every community, I am determined to create environments that empower individuals, encourage social interaction, and make contributions to the general vitality of the society.”
The Keep Tennessee Beautiful Three Grand Divisions Scholarship celebrates and honors the rich culture and geographically diverse East, Middle and West regions of the Volunteer State. This program supports graduating Tennessee high school seniors who demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental, social and economic sustainability through academic pursuits to positively impact the planet.
The Keep Tennessee Beautiful Three Grand Divisions Scholarship embodies the Keep Tennessee Beautiful mission of educating and inspiring Tennesseans to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment by nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards through this scholarship opportunity.
Visit https://www.keeptnbeautiful.org
