In the tenth year of its Excellence in Leadership scholarship program, the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) awarded $10,000 in scholarships to five exceptional students.
The Excellence in Leadership Scholarships were awarded to three Tillamook County high school seniors, one Morrow County high school senior and one continuing college student.
TCCA’s 2012 Excellence in Leadership Scholarship recipients are Shelby Porter, Ben Purcell, Vance Wetzel, Rebecca Jepsen and Katie Hurliman. Each student received $2,000.
Shelby Porter is the daughter of Brian and Vicky Porter of Nehalem. She is a graduate of Neah-Kah-Nie High School and plans to study biology at Linfield College with a goal of attending medical school.
Ben Purcell is the son of Mike and Jennifer Purcell of Bay City. He plans to attend Seattle Pacific University and study English. He is a graduate of Neah-Kah-Nie High School.
Vance Wetzel is a graduate of Tillamook High School. He plans to study emergency medical services at Tillamook Bay Community College and earn his firefighting certificates through Tillamook Fire. Vance is the son of Robert and Keri Wetzel of Tillamook.
Rebecca Jepsen received TCCA’s scholarship for a Morrow County student. She is the daughter of William and Nancy Jepsen of Heppner and an Ione High School graduate. Rebecca plans to attend Whitworth University and study pre-physical therapy.
Katie Hurliman is this year’s recipient of TCCA’s scholarship for a continuing college student. She is currently attending Linfield College and studying general science in order to complete the required prerequisites for optometry. Katie is the 2010 graduate of Tillamook High School. She is the daughter of TCCA farmer-owners, Max and Lisa Hurliman.
TCCA’s scholarship program was established in 2003 by the Association’s board of directors. The program created three scholarships to be awarded to graduating Tillamook County high school seniors. In 2005, two additional scholarships were added: one for a graduating high school senior in Morrow County, the location of Tillamook’s second cheesemaking plant; and one for a continuing college student who is from Tillamook County. Since then, a total of $92,000 has been awarded to 46 students, helping them achieve their educational goals and encouraging them to be leaders in their community. Scholarship recipients were presented with a certificate at their high school’s receptive senior honors night.
About Tillamook County Creamery Association
Established in 1909, the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) is a cooperative of approximately 105 dairy farming families guided by century-old values of quality, cooperation, integrity, stewardship and responsiveness. Quickly becoming one of the top dairy brands in the country, Tillamook is most famously known for its award-winning, naturally aged Tillamook cheddars and also offers a variety of other cheeses, ice cream, butter, sour cream and yogurt.