Serving Others Among Top Priorities for 2017 CollegeBound Scholarship Winner
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It didn’t take long for 2017 CollegeBoundTM Scholarship winner Ryleigh Krise to realize she had chosen the correct path. The former Lansing Charter Academy student was surrounded by Zambian school children, their eager faces reflecting enthusiasm back at her.
She had found her calling: serving others.
After graduating high school in 2021, Krise needed a break from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its restrictions. She decided to take a gap year before her first year of college.
“I needed a time to reset,” Krise said. “I have been working at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing as a patient safety sitter for the past eight months. I worked with many coronavirus patients as well as patients struggling with mental health issues and elderly patients with dementia.”
While that may not seem like a reset for most, Krise has proven to be an exceptional young lady. While in high school, she dual-enrolled at Lansing Community College and will carry 44 college credits into her first year of undergraduate work.
“My goal is to get my doctorate in physical therapy seven years from now,” Krise said. “I plan to start my undergraduate, majoring in exercise science and minoring in Spanish, this fall. I am still deciding which college I am going to attend for my four years of undergrad.”
She spent seven weeks in Zambia at the beginning of 2022 to volunteer at Lifesong School for Orphans, where she taught kindergarten classes, tutored her host family’s children and learned bits of Bemba, a Zambian language.
“My time and work in Zambia have greatly impacted my life,” Krise said. “My interactions and observations there have helped me clearly recognize my privilege and access to opportunities that many do not have. I want to utilize these opportunities to serve others.”
Krise said many of those feelings started during her time at Lansing Charter Academy.
“I enjoyed the diversity in the students and staff,” Krise said of her time at LCA. “Growing up with students from many different economic, racial, and religious backgrounds had a great impact on my life. My friends who did not go to LCA did not have those opportunities to see so many different types of people and walks of life. I am very grateful for my time at LCA.”
Being awarded one of National Heritage Academies’ CollegeBoundTM Scholarships was a turning point for the way Krise thought about her future education. She remembers receiving the large check in front of her classmates and being stunned that her principal was talking about her.
“A few hours later it really started to set in that I had won $5,000 towards my college education,” Krise said. “I was so excited to have started saving for the large expense that is college. I know it will only be able to cover a small cost of my college experience, but I am still very grateful for the aid and that my essay was recognized.”
After obtaining her doctorate, Krise would like to utilize her Spanish-speaking skills to work with underserved communities in South America.
Time to spread the word
The CollegeBoundTM Scholarship application is open, have you promoted it to your eighth graders yet? Each year, National Heritage Academies (NHA) awards four rising scholars with a one-time $5,000 college scholarship. All currently enrolled eighth-grade students are eligible to apply.
How to Apply:
Do you have any rising scholars with college-going aspirations? Encourage them to apply today. For questions about the scholarship application process visit our NHA CollegeBound™ Scholarship page.
For questions about the NHA CollegeBound™ Scholarship program email Leah Nixon at lnixon@nhaschools.com or call 616-929-1391.
Check out a school near you!
About Lansing Charter Academy
Lansing Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Lansing, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes 99 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Visit 's blog to read more stories like this.
She had found her calling: serving others.
After graduating high school in 2021, Krise needed a break from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its restrictions. She decided to take a gap year before her first year of college.
“I needed a time to reset,” Krise said. “I have been working at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing as a patient safety sitter for the past eight months. I worked with many coronavirus patients as well as patients struggling with mental health issues and elderly patients with dementia.”
While that may not seem like a reset for most, Krise has proven to be an exceptional young lady. While in high school, she dual-enrolled at Lansing Community College and will carry 44 college credits into her first year of undergraduate work.
“My goal is to get my doctorate in physical therapy seven years from now,” Krise said. “I plan to start my undergraduate, majoring in exercise science and minoring in Spanish, this fall. I am still deciding which college I am going to attend for my four years of undergrad.”
She spent seven weeks in Zambia at the beginning of 2022 to volunteer at Lifesong School for Orphans, where she taught kindergarten classes, tutored her host family’s children and learned bits of Bemba, a Zambian language.
“My time and work in Zambia have greatly impacted my life,” Krise said. “My interactions and observations there have helped me clearly recognize my privilege and access to opportunities that many do not have. I want to utilize these opportunities to serve others.”
Krise said many of those feelings started during her time at Lansing Charter Academy.
“I enjoyed the diversity in the students and staff,” Krise said of her time at LCA. “Growing up with students from many different economic, racial, and religious backgrounds had a great impact on my life. My friends who did not go to LCA did not have those opportunities to see so many different types of people and walks of life. I am very grateful for my time at LCA.”
Being awarded one of National Heritage Academies’ CollegeBoundTM Scholarships was a turning point for the way Krise thought about her future education. She remembers receiving the large check in front of her classmates and being stunned that her principal was talking about her.
“A few hours later it really started to set in that I had won $5,000 towards my college education,” Krise said. “I was so excited to have started saving for the large expense that is college. I know it will only be able to cover a small cost of my college experience, but I am still very grateful for the aid and that my essay was recognized.”
After obtaining her doctorate, Krise would like to utilize her Spanish-speaking skills to work with underserved communities in South America.
Time to spread the word
The CollegeBoundTM Scholarship application is open, have you promoted it to your eighth graders yet? Each year, National Heritage Academies (NHA) awards four rising scholars with a one-time $5,000 college scholarship. All currently enrolled eighth-grade students are eligible to apply.
How to Apply:
- Students may start their application HERE by creating an account through International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc. (ISTS) – our scholarship management partner.
- They should submit the requested information, including an essay about how your school’s Moral Focus virtues have made a difference in their life.
- Complete the scholarship application by 11:59 p.m. (PST) Monday, April 25, 2022.
- Scholarship winners will be notified the end of May or early June. This will be coordinated with the winning students’ principals.
Do you have any rising scholars with college-going aspirations? Encourage them to apply today. For questions about the scholarship application process visit our NHA CollegeBound™ Scholarship page.
For questions about the NHA CollegeBound™ Scholarship program email Leah Nixon at lnixon@nhaschools.com or call 616-929-1391.
Check out a school near you!
Lansing Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Lansing, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes 99 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Visit 's blog to read more stories like this.