Jasper High School 2023 graduate Reagan Fortwendel, a freshman at Purdue University, was one of the winners. The other winning students are from Mexico, China, Poland, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

This year’s winners are:

• Kaylee Bucci, a student at Florida Gulf Coast University.
• Bingyue Zhang, a student at Northwestern University.
• Nicole Gallego, a student at University of Central Florida.
• Rolsalva Aidee Rivera Villarreal, a student at Universidad Mexico Americana Del Norte, A.C.
• Reagan Fortwendel, a student at Purdue University.
• JingTian Gu, a student at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology.
• Jakub Wisniewski, a student at Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt.
• Payton Vazquez, a student at Florida State University.
• Genesis Arlene Ramirez Porras, a student at Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas.
• Mariana Paola Trevino Alvarado, a student at Universidad del Noreste, Tampico, Tamaulipas.

The winners will receive $1,250 for each year they are in college (up to four years) to be used for college expenses.

This is the second year for the company’s scholarship program. Ten students won scholarships in 2022. Kimball Electronics’ purpose statement is “Creating Quality for Life,” which sums up why the company exists beyond earning profit. The scholarship ties to two particular ways that Kimball Electronics strives to create quality for life:

• Kimball Electronics creates quality for life for our people through a respectful and rewarding company culture that encourages meaningful work, promotes a sense of family (at work and at home), and keeps their best interests in mind.
• Kimball Electronics creates quality for life for its communities through positive societal and environmental impacts.

“Congratulations to these students. They will be busy working hard to succeed at their studies, but I hope that they do find some time to continue creating quality for life in their community or on campus by helping others in need and / or protecting our planet. I encourage them to be a role model for their peers when it comes to helping others,” says Kimball Electronics CEO Ric Phillips.

Winners were chosen by a selection committee made up of members not employed by KE. The committee based their decision solely on submitted essays detailing how the students help others in their communities or the environment.

The selection committee consisted of Alex Rose, Senior Editor for Ocean Geographic Magazine and founder of Blue Ring, Inc., which supports the funding of globally significant ocean exploration and conservation projects that will positively shape the future; Dave Wilson, Corporate Partnerships director for the Eiteljorg Museum in downtown Indianapolis; and Mayly Tao, A Khmer, Thai, and Teochew Chinese Asian American born to Khmer refugee parents, who uses social media to elevate Asian American voices and representation. In appreciation of their participation, $500 will be donated to each selection committee member’s favorite worthy cause.