The Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Foundation announced the inaugural recipients of the Lloyd and Selma Sweeney Scholarship. Cayden Collings, a Mattoon High School senior, and Machenzie Stewart, a Tuscola High School senior, were each awarded scholarships of up to $5,000.
Selma Sweeney of Humboldt created the scholarship by establishing an endowment fund through the SBL Health Foundation prior to her death in June 2016. It was her wish to provide two graduating seniors from Coles or Douglas counties with scholarships of up to $5,000 each, one for a student pursuing a degree in healthcare and one for a student pursuing a degree in agriculture.
“The scholarship honors the Sweeney’s rich history with Sarah Bush Lincoln, which spanned more than 40 years as a longtime board member, WomenConnected member and devoted volunteer, and the rural area where she and her husband lived,” said Amy Card, Director, SBL Health Foundation. “A committee of our Foundation Board of Directors selected the two recipients out of many outstanding applicants.”
Cayden plans to attend Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey, to earn an associate’s degree in nursing and later transfer to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville for his bachelor’s degree. His goal is to become a traveling nurse. Machenzie plans to attend Parkland College in Champaign for two years then transfer to University of Illinois to pursue a degree in agriculture education. Her goal is to become a high school agriculture teacher.