Nelson Scholarships awarded to WVC at Omak students

Four Nelson Scholarships have been awarded to students attending the Wenatchee Valley College at Omak campus for the 2011-12 school year.

The $1,665 scholarships were presented to accounting students Miriam Cruz of Brewster, Paula Evans-Duncan of Twisp, Kate Hagen of Malott and Bradley McGaha of Malott.

Cruz attended Upper Columbia Academy in Spokane and was involved in her local church as a youth leader, organized community service projects and tutored. After her positive experience working alongside her manager at Earth Conscious Organics, Cruz became interested and decided to pursue a career path in accounting. She is looking forward to provided individuals and businesses with the reliable accounting service they seek.

Evans-Duncan is a member of the WVC at Omak Phi Theta Kappa honor society and is currently the North Central Washington Chapter Women’s Leader for Soka Gakkai International (the Society for the Creation of Value), a lay Buddhist group promoting peace through dialogue, education and cultural exchange. She has been an active volunteer working with teens and young adults promoting the Victory Over Violence and Rock The Era cultural movements. Evans-Duncan said she is pursuing accounting because it is a growing field and offers a variety of future employment opportunities, even in a small community.

Hagen is also a member of the WVC at Omak Phi Theta Kappa honor society and was recently elected treasurer of the chapter to gain experience working with budgets. Her decision to attend school for an accounting degree stems from her interest in finance and economics.

McGaha decided to return to school to learn new skills and retrain with abilities that will enable him to pursue a future in the accounting field. He represented all the scholarship recipients when he said, “I am very thankful for the opportunity to pursue this degree at Wenatchee Valley College and very grateful to the Nelson family for their generosity in helping me achieve this goal.”

This is the third year that Richard and Susan Nelson have sponsored the scholarship. Former graduates of Omak High School, they now live in Bellevue and have recently retired from Nelson Financial Services, Inc. Richard was an investment adviser. Susan was a certified public accountant and certified financial planner.

“Accounting is a rewarding field and an excellent course of study for many jobs,” the Nelsons said. “We want to help students develop the skills that will enable them to find employment in the local community.”