Oak Crest awards eight students $20,000 in scholarships

Oak Crest DeKalb Area Retirement Center gave $20,000 in scholarships through its Oak Crest Employee Scholarship Program this year.

The funds were divided among eight scholars: Renee Collins, Jordan Dobberstein, Aubrey Villarreal, Liliana Peterson, Justin Pottorff, Josephine Hoppenworth, Katherine Sherman and Haleigh Schell.

Collins is an Oak Crest employee, working as a certified nursing assistant in the Health Center. She plans to further her healthcare education and pursue a nursing degree at Kishwaukee College. She was awarded $1,500.

Dobberstein is the son of maintenance worker Robert Dobberstein. He is a recent graduate of Rochelle Township High School and is a first-generation college student attending Kishwaukee College studying political science. He hopes to one day run for political office. He was awarded $2,000.

Villarreal is the daughter of Certified Nursing Assistant Brian Villarreal. She is a student at Kishwaukee College studying nursing. Her long-range goals are to complete her nursing degree and then move on to a university to pursue her studies and one day serve her community as a nurse practitioner. She was awarded $2,000.

Peterson is the daughter of Oak Crest nurse Laura Peterson. She is pursuing a degree in public health at Augustana College. Her long-term career objectives include working with underprivileged women of color faced with single parenthood and reproductive health obstacles. She was awarded $2,000.

Pottorff is the son of bookkeeping/office assistant Jill Pottorff. He is a transfer junior at Iowa State University where he is majoring in chemical engineering. He is looking forward to applying his chemical engineering degree to a career in the automotive industry. He was awarded $2,000.

Hoppenworth is the daughter of employees Liz and Joel Hoppenworth and an Oak Crest employee. She attends the University of Illinois where she is continuing her studies in civil environmental engineering. She was awarded $2,500.

Sherman is an Oak Crest employee and the daughter of Linda Sherman, director of Resident Programming. She is a junior at University of Illinois seeking a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was awarded $3,000.

Schell is the daughter of Oak Crest Certified Nursing Assistant Deena Schell. She is a recent graduate of Hiawatha High School and a student at Northern Illinois University majoring in family social services. She hopes to pursue a career that allows her to work with disadvantaged children. She was awarded $5,000.

The scholarship program began in 2006 with a gift from the estate of Jack Boyle, a former Oak Crest resident. Oak Crest employees and their dependents are eligible for the scholarship, which can be used to defray the costs of tuition, fees and textbooks as they pursue an undergraduate degree or equivalent.

To be eligible, employees must have worked at least 1,000 hours each of the past two years. Applicants must show proof they have been accepted into a program of study prior to final approval.

For more information, contact Oak Crest at 815-756-8461 or lhoppenworth@oakcrestdekalb.org.