“I was very surprised, but excited,” Fillmore Central senior Kiera Olson said about finding out that she had been named a state finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship.
Communications teacher Mrs. Mehus encouraged Kiera to apply for the scholarship because of her academic and athletic accomplishments. So Kiera filled out the application, wrote her essays, and waited.
The Wendy’s High School Heisman is similar to the college Heisman, except that instead of relying on just football and academics, students are eligible for the high school Heisman based on their academics and participation in any of the 43 school sponsored sports that are recognized by the National Federation of State High School Association and the International Olympic Committee in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
The scholarship was created by the founder of Wendy’s restaurants, Dave Thomas in 1994. In the 22 years since, Wendy’s has awarded nearly $2 million to the winners of the scholarships. Applicants must maintain a 3.0 GPA and be leaders and role models within their schools and communities. A male and female winner are chosen at each step of the process to nationals.
The first step for Kiera was being selected as one of the two winners at Fillmore Central. After she won the slot for the female winner at the school, she became a state finalist for the scholarship.
Kiera runs cross country and track in school. In ninth grade, she placed 6th in sections and advanced to the state competition in cross country. In eleventh grade, her team was named conference champions and section champions. This year, they continued their streak by winning conference champions again and advancing to sections, which haven’t taken place yet.
Her record in track is equally impressive. As a sophomore, she won the section champion title for the 3200 meter dash and came in 8th in state. In her junior year, she came in 2nd in sections in the 4 x 8 relay and 6th in state.
Kiera holds a 4.0 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society and the student council, and is in the Teens Nurturing Teens group, which is composed of five seniors who were selected by their peers and teachers. Her extracurricular activities include band, jazz band, choir, speech class, and she participates in the one act play and the spring musical. Her favorite subjects in school are math and science and she would like to go to college for chemical engineering.
“I’m in advanced chemistry and physiology this year, and I really enjoy it,” Kiera remarked.
Even with her notable academic and athletic accomplishments, Kiera was still surprised when she heard that she’d been named the female state finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship.
“I was shocked when they announced it,” she said. She was awarded a $1,000 college scholarship, a $50 Wendy’s gift card, a Wendy’s High School Heisman State Winner patch, and a silver medal.
As a finalist for state, she is eligible for the nationals, which are held in New York City. If chosen as one of the 10 national finalists, she will receive an invitation to the awards banquet and will be eligible to win a $10,000 college scholarship along with other awards.
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