General Assembly Scholarship recipients
for the 50th District         

[JULY 11, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- State Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, is pleased to announce eight area students who will be receiving an Illinois General Assembly Scholarship for the 2005-2006 school year.

"There were many impressive applicants, which made choosing eight recipients very difficult," Bomke said. "However, I am confident that the eight young people who were selected will represent themselves and the 50th District very well. I want to congratulate them on their impressive high school careers and wish them much success in the future."

Illinois law provides for each state legislator to award eight one-year scholarships to any state-supported university. Bomke explained that winners are selected based on a combination of their academic potential -- such as grade-point average and ACT scores, on their leadership activities and community involvement, and on an individual's financial need in relation to the other applicants. The applicants were also required to write an essay explaining how they would benefit from the scholarship.

The 2005-2006 50th District General Assembly Scholarship winners are:

• Elise Berger, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• Christopher Hassan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Amanda Meredith, Illinois State University
• Zaxxson Nation, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
• Audra O'Brient, University of Illinois Springfield
• Jeremy Wheeler, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Jocelyn Williams, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Laura Vala, Illinois State University

[News release from Illinois Senate Republicans]