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Austin Area Foundation announces scholarship recipients
Jun. 23—The Austin Area Foundation has announced the four scholarship winners for the 2025 application cycle.
Reese Norton and Anna Kossman were awarded the Carl and Stella Ruzek Scholarship. Norton is a criminology major and will attend PennWest Clarion University in the fall. Kossman plans to major in Kinesiology at University of Northern Iowa.
"My volunteer experiences have not only allowed me to give back to my community but have also strengthened my sense of leadership, teamwork, and responsibility," Kossman said.
The Ruzek scholarship was established in 2005, by Michael, David, and Daniel Ruzek to honor and recognize their parents' belief in the importance of education. The Austin Area Foundation took over the administration of this scholarship in 2022.
Nadia Souvannarath won the Austin Area Foundation Scholarship for Education majors and is an Education major at Riverland Community College.
"I want to be the kind of teacher I wish I had, someone who reflects the diversity of her students, who understands the importance of inclusive education, and who creates a space where every child feels seen, heard, and valued," Souvannarath said.
The Education scholarship was established in 2021 to encourage and support students interested in a career in education. The scholarship honors the careers and dedicated service of former Austin educators David Krenz, Don Fox, and Dick Lees.
Mackenzie Andrews was awarded the Rick Herreid Science Scholarship. Andrews is a biology major focused on insect biology at Purdue University and stated in her application that her high school science labs sparked her science interest.
"One of my memorable moments was dissecting a chicken wing in my senior year and observing how the muscles, tendons, and ligaments worked together to produce a movement," she said. "Something that seems so simple, yet it is a product of complex interactions."
The Rick Herreid Science Scholarship was established in 2024 in memory and honor of Herreid, a former Hormel Foods Research and Development scientist and board member of the Science Fair Mentoring Project.
Austin Area Foundation's next scholarship application cycle starts March 1, 2026 and is open until April 30. The criteria to apply to each scholarship are provided on the Austin Area Foundation website. For more information visit and click "About" at the top of the page and select "AAF Scholarships" from the menu to learn more about these opportunities.
