“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

Photo: Mark Rairigh, Amy Miller, Dom Malanga, Kate Thormeier, Steve Alspaugh

Welcome Home Scholarship

The BHS class of 2025 exemplified the above quote by Coretta Scott King when it stepped forward offering its remaining class assets to establish a scholarship for fellow BHS graduates. Class officers Katherine Thormeier and Dominique Malanga met with Amy Miller (BAF Pres/CEO) in the Spring of 2025 to discuss ideas for establishing a scholarship using their remaining class funds. Their class, having been 8th graders during the Covid19 pandemic, had $11,000 remaining due to their 8th grade class trip to Chicago having been cancelled. Rather than installing a bench, or buying flags, or something similar, the pair reached out to inquire about creating a scholarship fund. After discussing multiple avenues/types of scholarships and receiving the approval by Bryan City School officials, the Welcome Home Scholarship was born.

The Welcome Home Scholarship serves to encourage fellow BHS graduates that have gone on to further their education outside Williams County, to consider returning to Williams County to live, work, serve, and play upon graduating from an accredited college, university, or trade school. Recipients of the Welcome Home scholarship will receive up to $10,000 for repayment of federal student loan debt in quarterly installments for one year following their return to Williams County.

Welcome Home Scholarship Eligibility

• Applicants must be Bryan High School (BHS) graduates that have gone on to also graduate (or be graduating from) an accredited college, university, or trade school.
• Applicants may not be living and working in Williams County at the time they apply but must be committed to returning to Williams County within twelve months of the award decision being made.
• Applicants must be working for a Williams County Employer in a full-time position for 90 days before the first award disbursement will be made.
• Preference will be given to applicants that have intention to get involved in philanthropic service in Williams County through service clubs or volunteerism.
• Applicants must have federal student loan debt to qualify.

Applications for the first Welcome Home Scholarship will be available on the Bryan Area Foundation website in October 2025, with the first recipient being awarded at the BHS Homecoming football game in the Fall of 2026.