BRADLEY SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

TWO SYCAMORE STUDENTS ARE

BRADLEY SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

While Sycamore has a tradition of students being honored with scholarships, the unveiling of the 2020 Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship recipients was a first: Sycamore has two winners. Eighth Graders, Nate Liang and Emily Hackwelder, were two out of the 28 in the U.S. who have been named award recipients for the class of 2025. No other school in the nation had two

students honored. Liang and Hackwelder are the only recipients from Indiana.

“I think this set us apart in the best of ways,” says Diane Borgmann, Head of Sycamore School. “To have two of 28 national winners is phenomenal. I think, foundationally, it tells us that we are fulfilling our mission. We are providing the stimulating environment our kids need in order to fulfill their potential.”

The Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) annually awards national winners a four-year high school scholarship for gifted learners to attend an optimally matched high school program to help them work toward meeting their unique intellectual and personal potential. “This scholarship provides financial and personal support so these exceptionally gifted students can focus on their quest for knowledge and work toward their full potential,” explains Elizabeth Jones, President and CoFounder of IEA.

“This would not at all be possible without the teachers at Sycamore,” Liang’s mom, Attaya Suvannasankha, says of her son winning the award. “Sycamore has taught Nate to grow as a whole person with confidence, integrity, and generosity, both in the classroom and extra activities.” She says Sycamore has taught Nate more than knowledge in school. He has also learned to grow as a whole person, with confidence, integrity, and generosity. Outside the classroom, he is involved in extra activities ranging from Science Bowl, MATHCOUNTS, Vex Robotics, music, and cross country. He also started the school’s own Quidditch Club.

Nate featured the Quidditch Club in his application to tell the story of who he is. It tells a story of his creativity, love of literature, commitment, and leadership. “To me,” Suvannasankha says, “the bigger story behind it is the journey of a child growing up with a Sycamore mentality where creativity is treasured. From the first time Nate read the Harry Potter series, he was in love. Sycamore is as close to Hogwarts you could have in the real world where anything is possible. Jamie MacDougal (the former Head of Middle School) let him be the Professor Snape of Sycamore and lead several more Harry Potter activities ranging from the Sorcerer’s of Stone scavenger Hunt to all the Quidditch matches.”

Kathy Hackwelder says her daughter would not be as successful were it not for Sycamore. “We are, of course, over the moon about Emily being selected. While we don’t know what exactly it was that made them pick her, we’re certain that without the ten years of challenge, love, and nurturing she has received at Sycamore, she would not have had this opportunity. Emily works hard and has always had tremendous enthusiasm for learning across all subjects. It’s that enthusiasm and her intellectual curiosity that make her a strong student. Her Sycamore teachers have nurtured that intellectual curiosity since she was very small.”

Emily, who has spent her entire school life at Sycamore, is currently doing homeschooling with her family during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In our hearts, we’ve never left Sycamore and she’s still a proud Eagle,” Kathy says. “Emily loves to read, bake, participate in academic competitions, and in Pre-COVID times, loved spending time with her friends and travel with her family. We’ve enjoyed spending much more time together as a family. We go for lots of family walks and have watched a lot of movies!“

“Our kids are exactly the kids the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship was created to serve,” Borgmann says. “They are highly gifted and need the opportunity to pursue whatever it takes to propel them along the path to fulfillment of their potential. Nate and Emily are amazing Sycamore students and have been all along! Both of them personify the Sycamore student that we want to produce. Not only are they both brilliant and respected for their brilliance, they are also both kind, respectful, creative kids.”

LEFT: EMILY HACKWELDER | RIGHT: NATE LIANG Students apply for the Bradley Scholarship in the Seventh Grade and are required to complete a rigorous portfolio application process, which includes essays, Middle School transcripts, two recommendations, and a work sample. Eligible applicants must also achieve scores at or above the 97th percentile on nationally normed standardized tests.

This year’s selection committee process looked different due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Three selection committees, comprised of nationwide high school and university admissions directors, CDB alumni, and community and business leaders, met virtually to review scholarship applications. Interviews were conducted via video conference. The program, which began in 2002, is one of the few merit-based, need-blind scholarships of its kind in the United States. n