Los Alamos High School senior Madelyn Crotzer/Courtesy photo
JROMC COMMITTEE NEWS RELEASE
Madelyn Crotzer, a senior honors student at Los Alamos High School, has made the most of her educational experience with passion, perseverance and stamina.
“I am planning to pursue a master’s degree in chemical engineering because I hope to research innovations that will raise the standard of living by making energy cleaner and more affordable,” Crotzer said.
She has excelled in the classroom by earning a 4.178 cumulative grade point average while taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses in computer science, chemistry, calculus, language and composition, Spanish language and culture, and literature and composition.
Madelyn is a National Merit Finalist and was a member of the National Honor Society for three years, a member of the All-State Orchestra for two years as a violinist and a member of the Honor Orchestra for two years and the Superintendent’s Challenge winner as a freshman for her coronavirus coding project.
She has applied her learning by serving as a violin teacher for four years providing weekly lessons to four elementary school-aged children. She also tuned their instruments, provided practice strategies, and taught correct posture and stylistic techniques that enable students to progress in their playing abilities.
Madelyn’s volunteer community service included being the co-founder with her older sister of “Youth Helping Refugee Youth”, a part of a larger Interfaith Los Alamos response effort and actively participated in annual winter coat and supplemental school supply drives and soliciting financial contributions for those in need.
And she has served as an active member of Key Club and Rotary Interact Club by participating in community-centered service activities. As part of the Los Alamos community, Madelyn served as a volunteer Teen Court attorney, judge, jury foreman and juror.
After Madelyn graduates from LAHS this semester, she is planning to continue her higher education this fall at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to pursue a master’s degree in chemical engineering with the help of a $3,000 J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee (JROMC) scholarship funded and sponsored by the LAHS Class of 1970.
“I am very excited and thankful that I was chosen for this scholarship and it feels really good to be recognized for the hard work that I have accomplished,” said Madelyn Crotzer. “I am also thrilled to see that there was a scholarship for students wanting to pursue degrees in arts and sciences because of the important impact these studies can have on life and mankind.”
“On behalf of the LAHS Class of 1970, I want to congratulate Madelyn Crotzer for her high school academic achievements, community service and leadership,” said Abel Chavez, the co-chairman of the Class of 1970 scholarship fundraising effort. “Madelyn truly exemplifies the student who deserves a scholarship for her passion, drive and dedication to both academic excellence and community service by inspiring young students especially those in need.”
This year’s scholarship was made possible with a $3,000 contribution from Abel Chavez in honor and memory of Lucy Chavez, his sister and a member of the Class of 1970.
Madelyn is the daughter of Laura and Ronald Crotzer of Los Alamos, New Mexico.
The scholarship fundraising was held during the LAHS Class of 1970 50th year reunion to provide financial support for graduating seniors wanting to earn a degree in arts and sciences.
The J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee is assisting the LAHS Class of 1970 administer their scholarship fund by selecting the recipient of the 2023 and 2024 scholarships.
This year, the overall JROMC scholarship program received a total of 38 applications for their 7 awards. After an initial review of the applications, 11 finalists were selected for individual interviews conducted by a team of a five-volunteer panel representing the entire committee.
“The selection for each scholarship is very competitive,” said Christine Phillips, the chairwoman of the JROMC scholarship program. “The final selections are made difficult by the exceptionally high-quality caliber of all the student applicants.”
The J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee has a proven record in providing support to education and has provided more than 230 scholarships to local area students totaling more than $700,000 since their scholarship program began in 1984. For more information regarding the scholarship program, please visit https://jromc.org/