Landmarks Awards Four Scholarships to College-Bound Students
PHLF
June 14, 2007
For the ninth consecutive year, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation has sponsored a scholarship program for students in Allegheny County who are interested in the history, architecture, and landscape design of the Pittsburgh region. Four students––out of 35 applicants––were awarded $4,000 scholarships on June 12, 2007:
• Jacob W. Beatty of North Allegheny Senior High School, who will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to study engineering;
• Caroline L. Mack of Schenley High School, who will be attending Drexel University to study civil engineering;
• Breanna M. Smith of Penn Hills Senior High School, who will be attending Washington & Jefferson College to study English; and
• Paul J. Steidl of Taylor Allderdice High School, who will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to study architecture and urban planning.
David Brashear, the trustee at Landmarks who sponsors the scholarship program, noted that: “We have selected four promising young students as this year’s scholarship winners who share a love of Pittsburgh and an understanding of the cultural, social, and economic value of historic preservation. As they achieve their educational and professional goals, we feel confident that they will remember their hometown with gratitude—and be in a position some day to give back to their community.”
Since the inception of the scholarship program in 1999, the Brashear Family Named Fund of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and several trustees have committed $100,000 to fund a total of 25 scholarships. Scholarship recipients have attended (or are attending) Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Drexel University, George Washington University, Howard University, Kent State University, Syracuse University, Temple University, University of Cincinnati, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Washington & Jefferson College.
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Scholarship Program is offered each year. Applications for the 2007-08 school year will be available in Jan. 2008. Applicants must:
• be a resident of Allegheny County;
• be a high school senior who has been accepted at a college or university;
• have a cumulative Quality Point Average at the end of the first semester senior year of 3.25 or greater; and
• write an essay on a certain topic, complete an application, and submit a letter of recommendation.
OVER
2007 Landmarks Scholarship Recipients: Student Profiles
Photos are available by contacting Greg Pytlik: greg@pytlikdesign.com
Jacob W. Beatty
A graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, Jacob will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to study engineering.
Jacob received the James R. Wall Humanitarian Scholarship Award 2004-05 and participated in Landmarks’ Architecture Apprenticeship program in 2006. He has participated in many extracurricular activities and clubs, including a church youth group and Boy Scouts. For his Eagle Scout Project, Jacob worked on a project that would benefit a retreat center for children at risk of abuse and their families. Jacob also completed multiple renovation projects to benefit the elderly and disabled.
Jacob explains in his scholarship essay how important Pittsburgh––and specifically the former offices of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, known as the “Castle”––have been to his family, the community, and the United States. “The Westinghouse Museum, of which I am currently a student member, is important to me personally since my great-grandfather and all of his sons were employed by Mr. Westinghouse their entire lives. But it is important to our entire nation because nowhere else within a span of such a few miles was more done to make lives of everyone safer, easier and more pleasant. The museum allows its visitors to experience history in the very place that it occurred.”
Caroline L. Mack
A graduate of Schenley High School, Caroline will be attending Drexel University to study civil engineering. She also plans on studying architecture as a minor or as a second major. Caroline is the first scholarship recipient to have participated in Landmarks’ school programs as an elementary school student.
Caroline received the Distinguished Youths of Western PA Award (American Cancer Society). She was a member of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, Amnesty International, ACLU, and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council of Pittsburgh. She is a volunteer with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity, Global Links, and Pittsburgh Cares.
Caroline’s scholarship essay explains her fascination and love of old buildings, and her ambition to pursue a career that would allow her to be involved in historic restoration. She discusses how her school, Schenley High School, was nearly sold or torn down. “Immediately [I], along with numerous other students from my school, started a petition against the possible demolition of the school we loved. We spoke at City Council meetings, and got nearly six-hundred signatures on our petition.”
Breanna M. Smith
A graduate of Penn Hills Senior High School, Breanna will be attending Washington & Jefferson College to study English.
Breanna received the Excellence in Civics Award in ninth grade. During High School, she was a member of Key Club and SADD. Through these clubs Breanna participated in teaching “stranger danger” to kindergarteners, adopt-a-highway, adopt-a-spot (which targets an area for beautification), and helped organize Frisbee tournaments to raise money for charity.
In her scholarship essay, Breanna relates the personal connection that she has felt to Pittsburgh since she was a young girl and describes how the history of her family intertwines with that of the city. “Whenever I pass a steel mill today, I feel pride in knowing the hard work my family did there. The steel mills serve as a reminder to me to be thankful for what I have. My family members wanted a better life for themselves and for their children and worked hard to improve their status. I know that going to college is an opportunity they never had, but one they desperately wanted for their children and grandchildren.”
Paul J. Steidl
A graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School, Paul will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to study architecture. He plans on earning a minor in urban planning.
Paul was a member of the Environmental Club and a participant in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Technology in 2005 and in the Pre-college Architecture Program at Carnegie Mellon University in 2002. He has volunteered for E-fest Community Festival, Young Writers Institute, and Conductive Education Summer Camp.
Paul’s scholarship essay reveals how important growing-up in Pittsburgh has been to developing his passion for architecture. Paul completed a documentary, “Living in the East End,” about neighborhoods in the East End. “I believe that people should not restrict themselves to their own neighborhoods––they should be aware of the unique people, places and events that are in every area of the city. My goal for the film was to show students in my school all of the great things that Pittsburgh neighborhoods have to offer, both architecturally and culturally.”
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Founded in 1964, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a non-profit membership organization working to identify and save architectural landmarks, revitalize historic neighborhoods, and instill community pride through educational programs.