Norah Gartz, left, and Logan Perez have received this year’s Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship. Photo by Jessica Booton Photography
Kristin Kosiewicz/Courtesy photo
BY JENNIFER MCCUMBER
Executive Director
LAPS Foundation
LAPS Foundation announces Norah Gartz and Logan Perez as the graduating seniors selected for the Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship this year.
This is the second year for the scholarship which is awarded in memory of Kristin Kosiewicz, a 1993 graduate of Los Alamos High School who passed away on September 26, 2021. The scholarship’s purpose is to increase awareness of the dangers of accidental drug overdose which tragically took Kristin’s life. Applicants for the scholarship wrote an essay about the negative impacts of substance abuse, the role gateway substances have in leading young people to become addicted, their thoughts about how to better prepare young adults graduating from high school to avoid the dangers of accidental overdose, and ideas for prevention and awareness strategies.
Stan Kosiewicz and Amy Anderson, Kristin’s father and stepmother, were touched by the donations from family and friends for the scholarship. The Foundation will continue to accept donations for future awards of the scholarship. Stan and Amy were also impressed by the wisdom and insight demonstrated by all of the applicants in their essays. Stan commented, “We are grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness about accidental drug overdose with the hope that we can help prevent other families from experiencing the tragic loss of a child. Reading the students’ essays meant a lot to us and helped with our healing process.”
Congratulations to the two students who were selected as the 2023 recipients of the scholarship. Norah Gartz will attend Northern Arizona University to study international communications and psychology. Logan Perez will attend New Mexico State University and major in psychology.
The Kristin Kosiewicz Substance Abuse Awareness Scholarship is administered by the Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation, an independent organization that supports, challenges, and invests in a successful future for all Los Alamos public school students. Learn more at www.lapsfoundation.com.