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Two selected for Nelson Hometown Scholarships
McCOOK, Neb. -- Jordan Pick and Emily Wood have not moved back to McCook or Southwest Nebraska -- yet. But both girls have the desire to return to McCook in the near future and that is the purpose of the Nelson Hometown Scholarship program, which will announce new recipients in the upcoming weeks.
Graduates of McCook High School, Jordan and Emily were among the first recipients in four years to receive the Nelson scholarship, which is awarded to students with a desire to return to southwest Nebraska and an aspiration to own or operate their own business. Both girls are easily meeting those requirements.
Emily graduated from McCook Community College with an associate of arts degree and will soon graduate from the University of Nebraska-Kearney as an English major with a business administration minor. She will attend law school at UNL, with the intention of returning to McCook to practice law with her father, County Attorney Paul Wood.
Jordan will also graduate from UNK with an early childhood unified degree, which allows her teach from birth to third grade. She has applied across the state -- including McCook -- for a teaching position and is also in the process of setting up her own 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation to benefit military families.
In a recent conference call, Sen. Ben Nelson noted that Jordan and Emily have both shown a commitment to return to Southwest Nebraska. "They are exactly what I had hoped we would have for the Nelson Hometown Scholarship Program -- to get their education where necessary and to return to their roots in Southwest Nebraska," Sen. Nelson said. "To avoid 'brain drain,' people need opportunities and a commitment to return to the area."
Sen. Nelson added that he may not have moved back to McCook, "but I've kept a close affinity to my hometown and am proud of McCook. It is still an important part of my life."
"If you remember where you came from, it is a lot easier to get where you are going," Sen. Nelson said, explaining why the Nelson Hometown Scholarship focuses on students who want to get their education and return to southwest Nebraska.
Both Jordan and Emily have been busy since graduating from McCook and both have ambitious plans.
Along with graduating from UNK, Emily also recently received the "Outstanding Scholar Award" from the UNK writing conference, which rewards all her writing entries rather than just one essay. She said the Nelson scholarship provided a great head start to pay for schooling at McCook Community College and UNK. Although she won't receive the Nelson scholarship for law school, Emily said it helped her prepare financially for law school, where she has received an outstanding student scholarship.
Jordan graduated a semester early from MHS with hours from MCC. During her time at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, she also studied abroad in Norway. The Nelson scholarship, which was renewed all four years, helped with school costs as she saved her for her traveling expenses.
Jordan is also working on setting up a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the intent of helping military families. Called "Soldiers Bliss," Jordan is currently in the process of filing the necessary paperwork and developing her business plan.
"I intend to zero in on one deployed person at a time, along with his or her family," Jordan said. She noted a variety of areas where her nonprofit could support a military family, whether taking the kids to the park for an hour or two so the parents can have time together or providing childcare for the parent left while the other is overseas.
Although she doesn't have any immediate family members serving in the military, Jordan recognized the sacrifice the y made. "They have sacrificed for me so that I can have my freedom and the kids are giving up their parents," she said.
In addition to the Nelson scholarship, Jordan was also a member of Youth Change Reaction, a subcommittee of the McCook Community Foundation Fund. She says YCR is where she discovered philanthropy and credits YCR with her desire to start her nonprofit..
Jordan has an additional connection to Sen. Nelson. She interned for him in Washington, D.C. for six weeks during Sen. Nelson's final year in the senate. She did a little bit of everything from talking to constituents to responding to letters. She was known as "McCook" around the Washington office, since it was her first time in a big city.
To be eligible for the Nelson scholarships, graduates must have attended either McCook or Southwest High Schools and plan to attend or currently attend Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis, Mid-Plains Community College in McCook or North Platte or the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
The scholarships are funded by the Nelson Institute Fund, an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation, and administered by the McCook Community Foundation Fund. The Nelson Hometown Scholarship program awards scholarships of $1,500 or more annually. Eligible applicants must express a desire to return to southwest Nebraska sometime in the future. Special consideration is given to those applicants expressing a desire to own and operate a business. The scholarships may be renewed.
The Nelson Institute Fund was established in 1998 by then-Governor E. Benjamin Nelson to promote economic development in southwest Nebraska. The McCook Community Foundation Fund is an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation. NCF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing strategic planning, education, training and financial management to 223 affiliated funds in Nebraska. Since its founding in 1993, NCF and its affiliated funds have invested more than $163 million in Nebraska.