By Jason Klaiber
Staff Writer
Manlius resident Christine Swanson has received one of the fifteen $5,000 gift scholarships awarded across the country this year by the American Legion Auxiliary.
The American Legion Auxiliary Children of Warriors National Presidents’ Scholarship was eligible to high school seniors descended from armed forces veterans who served during specified military conflicts.
Swanson’s great-grandfather, Edward Kelly, served as a rifleman and military police officer during World War II.
“He sacrificed himself for his country and for his family, and I believe that is a truly honorable thing to do,” Swanson said in her application response.
The American Legion Auxiliary bestowed the scholarship on students who demonstrated strong character and leadership traits, excelled academically, needed financial support for higher education and sent in a well-written original essay about education and its effect on homelessness among veterans.
“I believe that education is a powerful tool and motivator for people to succeed,” Swanson wrote in her essay. “When people have a wider range of information and knowledge, they also have the possibility to be more self-reliant.”
Applicants were also asked about the importance of receiving the scholarship, their planned course of study upon entering college, their involvement in community activities and the significance of patriotic organizations like the American Legion in today’s world.
Swanson, who will be attending Union College in Schenectady this fall to pursue environmental studies, wrote in her response that organizations like the American Legion show military personnel that they are respected and that “their hard work is so valued by the citizens of the country.”
A recent graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Swanson was a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, the school’s rowing club and clarinet choir. She also participated year to year in the school’s Dance Marathon, a fundraiser for Camp Good Days and Special Times.
“Her interest in continuing the awareness of what our veterans do and what they’ve gone through, and the patriotism that she shows, is amazing,” Jody Henson, the membership and public relations chairperson for the Manlius American Legion Post 141, said.
The American Legion Auxiliary awarded three scholarships in each of its five national divisions—Central, Eastern, Southern, Western and Northwestern.
