Generous Hearts

Pat Brister Legacy Scholarship: Sydney Vander

by Susan Bonnett Bourgeois

A REFRESHINGLY MODEST 17-yearold living in Slidell, Sydney Vander is a results-oriented, accomplished and articulate young woman. Voted the 2020-21 Northshore High School Student of the Year, Vander is the president of her school’s National Honor Society, secretary of the Student Ambassadors Program, and a member of Beta Club, Key Club, and Juniors in Service. With an impressive 350 community service hours, she maintains an incredibly rigorous academic standard, a 4.6 GPA while still giving selflessly back to her community and fellow students.

We are proud to announce that Sydney Vander is the recipient of the First Annual Pat Brister Legacy Scholarship.

Sydney Vander

Established this year in honor of beloved late Parish President Pat Brister, the memorial scholarship is awarded to a female graduate of a St. Tammany Parish public high school who has demonstrated a record of high academic achievement and outstanding service to the surrounding community, much like the tireless service that Pat gave back to her community. Sydney Vander is all of that and more.

Vander is knowledgeable and competent, and speaks with clarity and patience. She handles all of the numerous responsibilities she has taken on with grace and a noticeably positive disposition. According to her instructors, she does not simply attend a learning institution; she helps establish a culture of excellence by raising the standard for all to reach while helping them reach it.

“I am honored to be the first recipient of the Pat Brister Legacy Scholarship,” says Sydney. “Her example of how to be a role model, mentor and trailblazer reminds me of my favorite scripture that is the foundation for which I live my life: ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ God has given me many gifts, and it is my responsibility and duty to use them to improve the community in which I live.”

Sydney plans to major in chemistry with aspirations to go to medical school and start her own practice where she can provide access to quality healthcare to those who are typically underserved.

While her academic gifts and work ethic make her an exceptional student, Sydney Vander’s willingness to use her gifts in serving others makes her an exceptional person. She embodies the spirit in which this scholarship was created, and we know that Pat would be so pleased to have this young woman be given all of the tools she needs to achieve her dreams.