This spring, the Maps Community Foundation awarded $58,000 in scholarships to 25 outstanding local students. That’s a record-breaking number! Our history is rooted in education, so we couldn’t be more excited to acknowledge and support these deserving individuals. Check out the 2024 scholarship recipients and help us celebrate their inspiring academic futures.
Gordon Sawser Memorial Scholarship
The Gordon Sawser Memorial Scholarship is awarded in honor of Sawser, who served on the Maps Board of Directors for 25 years. Sawser was born in Burns, Oregon in 1946 and worked at a cattle ranch before graduating from Burns High School. He served as a Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, and Company Commander in the Army Engineers during the Vietnam conflict. He also attended Southern Oregon College (now SOU), and briefly taught in American Samoa at the Community College of American Samoa. His education and background in accounting led him to work as a consultant for companies like May Trucking and Ross Bros. Construction. In his free time, Sawswer volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America and the First Presbyterian Church. But, more than anything, he loved adventure, family, and giving back to the community. The foundation reserves the Gordon Sawser Memorial Scholarship for Marion or Polk County graduating seniors pursuing a degree in business or accounting. Each year, we celebrate Sawser’s contributions by encouraging future generations of students who share Sawser’s acumen for business or accounting.
Recipient
Stephanie Valdovinos Rodriguez (McKay High School)
Stephanie Valdovinos Rodriguez received a $3,500 Gordon Sawser Memorial Scholarship, which she plans to use to pursue a master’s in business administration at a yet-to-be-determined school. In addition to earning the scholarship, Rodriguez received a paid internship with Maps through her school’s CTE Advanced Banking program. As a student intern teller, she honed her financial skills and “learned the language of banking and finance.” The honor student also served as the McKay Student Body Vice President and participated in numerous clubs and athletic teams.
It is her banking experience, however, that set her on a career path. “These experiences solidified my passion for the financial industry and my long-term goal to become a financial analyst, or a certified personal accountant,” says Rodriguez. “I plan to use my heritage, culture, and language to provide a long-term impact in the business world.”
Phil Frey Memorial Scholarship
Philip Frey was a high school honor student and U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling champion. He attended Oregon State University where he earned a B.S. in Sociology and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa (a Catholic fraternity). Later, he owned Frey’s Thriftway stores with his brothers Bill and Jim. Frey worked as the Director of Auxiliary Services at Chemeketa Community College for 13 years until he retired. He also served as a Chemeketa board member for 11 years and a Willamette ESD board member for 21 years. Maps was honored to have Frey as a board member for 7 years. (We even named a conference room after him.) Each year, in honor of Phil Frey, Maps grants $3,500 to dedicated Willamette Valley high school graduate(s) pursuing a degree at Oregon State University. The scholarship is based on academic achievement, community involvement, and essay response. To this day, recipients are chosen with the help of the Frey family.
Recipients
Jesus Salazar-Cervantes (North Salem High School)
Jesus Salazar-Cervantes was awarded the $3,500 Phil Frey Memorial Scholarship. The two-year consecutive President of the National Honor Society and Senior Class President has a passion for engineering which he hopes to turn into a career driving innovation and sustainability in the field of Biomedical Engineering. He plans to study Mechanical Engineering at Oregon State University. Says Salazar-Cervantes, “Engineering, with its blend of creativity, problem-solving, and innovation, has become more than just a field of study for me—it is a calling.”
Bryn Ulven (Silverton High School)
Phil Frey Memorial Scholarship ($1,500) recipient Bryn Ulven has a passion for healthcare and helping people. The varsity soccer player and Student Body President plans to pursue an education in Human Development and Family Science at Oregon State University. She hopes to get a Certified Nursing Assistant license over the summer to immediately gain experience in the field. Upon graduation from OSU, Ulven hopes to study pediatrics at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). “Working with kids has shown me so much about how their minds work, how they view the world with an innate and joyful curiosity, an eagerness to learn, and an openness to experience the world,” Says Ulven. “I have discovered that when I am working with kids, I am filled with energy and creativity, and I find a new sense of motivation to help them grow and learn.”
Dan Penn Scholarship
Each year, we honor Dan Penn for the decades of leadership and values he contributed to Maps Credit Union with two $1,000 scholarships. Penn joined the Maps team in 1980 as a consultant. At that time, he was the CEO of Central Willamette Credit Union in Albany, but the Maps board brought him in to work some magic with Maps. A few months later, the board asked him to be CEO. Some 29 years later, Penn retired as Maps CEO. Upon his retirement, the Maps Board of Directors renamed the Maps Administration Building in his honor. We still call it the Dan Penn Administration Building. In his name, we reserve two $1,000 scholarships for graduating seniors from a Marion or Polk County high school who intend to pursue degrees in business, finance, or related studies.
Recipients
Amelia Prins (South Salem High School)
Amelia Prins was the recipient of a $2,000 Dan Penn Scholarship. Throughout her high school career, the athlete and Honor Society member was a participant and leader for the DECA, an organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. She has competed in and won several DECA competitive events. Prins, who also enjoys writing, plans to study Business and Global Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. “I love the sense of pure creation that comes along with a blank piece of paper,” says Prins. “This is what I hope to have the ability to do in my career; make my own mark on the world and inspire others to do the same.”
Raquelle Hendrix (Blanchet Catholic School)
Raquelle Hendrix was the recipient of a $1,000 Dan Penn Scholarship. At Blanchet Catholic School, Hendrix was active in Varsity Speech and Debate. She also served as Student Body Vice President and participated in numerous sports teams, DECA, and the Caretakers of the Environment International (CEI) club. Hendrix, who is motivated by her faith and passion for protecting the environment, hopes to study International Business at a yet-to-be-determined school. She draws inspiration from Pope Francis’s teachings of Laudato Si, which focus on caring for the natural environment and all people. She has passed those lessons on to her classmates and younger kids in her community. “Being involved in CEI and hosting these events has been my most important contribution to my school and community,” says Hendrix. “In teaching these students and incorporating Laudato Si, I have educated myself. None of my other accomplishments measure up to the influence this contribution has had on myself and others.
Earl Littrell Memorial Scholarship
Earl K. Littrell, a Stanford University undergraduate with a doctorate in accounting from the University of Oregon, was an educator at the University of Pittsburg, the University of Wyoming, and Willamette University. Littrell, who was generous of heart and committed to community involvement, chaired the Maps Board of Directors from 1984 to 2002. He also chaired the Mid-Willamette Valley Regional Strategies Board (which distributed more than $4 million in economic development grants between 1994 and 1999). In his memory, Maps created the Earl K. Littrell Education Room in our Administration Building. We celebrate his legacy of leadership, philanthropy, and community support with that space and the annual Earl K. Littrell Memorial Scholarship. Students pursuing studies in accounting, economics, business, or related fields at an accredited college or university in Oregon are eligible.
Recipients
Angelina Fajer (McNary High School)
Angelina Fajer was the recipient of a $1,500 Earl Littrell Memorial Scholarship. She hopes to study Business and Marketing at Chemeketa Community College. At McNary High School, Fajer was active in the Girl Scouts, cheerleading, and the symphony orchestra. Along the way, she developed an interest in marketing. “I have always been fascinated at the concept behind marketing techniques,” she says. She fueled that curiosity with a digital marketing class at McNary. “I’ve always loved to express my creativity…and hope to continue expressing it in my degree,” says Fajer. “As certain things like social media take over for marketing, I see myself brainstorming and thinking of ideas to add to current ads and products that would make them more discoverable and known.”
Malia Morrison (West Salem High School)
Malia Morrison received a $2,000 Earl Littrell Memorial Scholarship. The Honor Society member plans to pursue Business and Marketing at the University of Oregon. At West Salem High School, Morrison was active in both track and cross country. Through athletics, she became a leader, offering guidance and support to other team members. “When I started cross country, I knew nothing about running,” says Morrison. “I went into it my summer of Freshman year with no experience or idea of what to expect. Now that I am in my senior year, I can proudly look back and see how much I have grown.”
Want to meet more of our outstanding 2024 Scholarship recipients? Follow these links to get the inside scoop.
- Learn about the Maps Business Partner Scholarships and meet the winners.
- Get to know the Maps Credit Union Scholarship recipients and discover how we fund the core of our scholarship program.