Los Alamos High School senior Ellie Oldham is the winner of a $3,000 J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee Scholarship funded and sponsored by the LAHS Class of 1969. Oldham says her goal is to be the kind of teacher who inspires kids like the teachers she has had. Courtesy photo
LAHS SCHOLARSHIP NEWS
Ellie Oldham, a senior honors student at Los Alamos High School, has spent the past three years preparing herself to fulfill a lifelong dream to become a teacher.
Oldham has excelled in the classroom by taking a Honors English course as a sophomore, AP Language, AP U.S. History classes as a junior, and AP Psychology and Honors Anatomy courses as a senior.
She has applied her learning by serving as a student aide at Mountain Elementary School, as an intern in the English Department at LAHS and as an official substitute teacher for Dance Arts classes for elementary school students. She has volunteered for community service in Mexico the past three years with the Los Alamos United Church by helping build homes for low-income families and serving as a Christian summer camp counselor for 3rd through 5th grade students in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
And Oldham has served in student council leadership positions as the senior class vice president and secretary/treasurer for her sophomore and junior classes. In addition, she has been a Link Crew program leader the past two years by organizing training and freshman orientation activities.
After Oldham graduates from LAHS this semester, she is planning to continue her higher education this fall at Colorado State University in Fort Collins with the help of a $3,000 J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC) scholarship funded and sponsored by the LAHS Class of 1969.
The scholarship was established last fall in partnership with JROMC during the LAHS Class of 1969 50th year reunion to provide financial support for graduating seniors wanting to earn a degree in teacher education.
The J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee helped the LAHS Class of 1969 administer their fund and to select the recipient for their 2020 scholarship.
This year, the JROMC scholarship program received a total of 52 applications for their seven awards. After an initial review of the applications, 16 finalists were selected for individual interviews conducted by a three person volunteer panel representing the entire committee.
“The selection for each scholarship was very competitive,” said Christine Phillips, the chairwoman of the JROMC scholarship program. “The final selections were made difficult by the exceptionally high quality caliber of all the student applicants,” she added.
“I am very excited and thankful that I was chosen and it feels really good to be recognized for the hard work that I have accomplished,” Oldham said. “I was also thrilled to see that there was a scholarship for students wanting to become teachers because of the impact teachers have on students.”
“On behalf of the LAHS Class of 1969, I want congratulate Ellie Oldham for her high school academic achievements, community service and leadership,” said Abel Chavez, the co-chairman of the Class of 1969 scholarship fundraising effort. “Ellie truly exemplifies the student who deserves an academic scholarship for her passion, drive and dedication to teaching and inspiring students.”
“We also look forward to supporting Ellie with any encouragement and support she may need to succeed and to fulfill her lifelong dream of teaching,” he added.
Oldham is the daughter of Susan and Warren Oldham of White Rock.