Donald White Memorial Scholarship awarded to 2019 MHS graduate

Staff
Posted 5/24/19

MENDOTA - The Donald White Memorial Scholarship was established at Mendota High School by Melissa Sallee to honor her father and to help area youth grasp their own ability to change the world.

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Donald White Memorial Scholarship awarded to 2019 MHS graduate

Posted

MENDOTA - The Donald White Memorial Scholarship was established at Mendota High School by Melissa Sallee to honor her father and to help area youth grasp their own ability to change the world.

Donald White served in the U.S. Air Force before returning to the states to take the baton for the family farm, following his fathers’ tragic passing. Donald’s life of was one of hardship, faced with extreme poverty and adversity. He stopped his formal education just after high school but spent a lifetime teaching others higher level concepts that he gleaned from reading.

Donald’s intelligence was evident but he remained humble, putting aside his own needs to help others. This, in turn, brought about his legacy of removing his family from generational poverty.

To qualify for this scholarship, students planning to pursue a future in agriculture or the helping professions were required to write an essay explaining how they intend to change the world. This year’s recipient of the Donald White Memorial Scholarship is Allison Olczak, daughter of Justin and Shannon Olczak of Mendota. A 2019 MHS graduate, Olczak plans to attend IVCC and eventually transfer to a four-year university to pursue a degree in occupational therapy.