Thirty college students from Atchison County were presented with the Esther A. and Bruce S. Gibbs Charitable Trust Scholarship in a ceremony held Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Rock Port United Methodist Church. Pictured, from left to right, are: front row – Tessa Rolf, Alex Barnett, Sophia Martin, Kelsea Kirwan, Anneliese Clauson, Aubrey Watkins, Claire Martin, Jaysa Green-Welch, Jenasey Mace, and Chaney Vogler; second row – Natalie Hedlund, Kaitlyn Hall, Haley Garrison, Haley Hall, Alissa Hurst, Morgan Cofer, Mackenzie Lager, Phillip Herron, Bannack Skillen, Reed Miller, and Tarver Muntz; and back row – Seth Morey, Ian Stepp, Daniel Lesher, Aaron Schlueter, Cameron Oswald, Braden Graves, Peyton Lager, Trenton Kingery, and Collin Hedlund.
Citizens Bank & Trust, trustee of the Esther A. & Bruce S. Gibbs Charitable Trust, hosted the annual Gibbs Trust Scholarship luncheon Friday, June 27, 2025, at the United Methodist Church in Rock Port. This was the 36th year the Esther A. & Bruce S. Gibbs Charitable Trust has awarded scholarships to college students who have graduated from Atchison County, Missouri, high schools. The trust has awarded 1,124 scholarships since 1990, with a grand total of $1,768,955.00 having been awarded to students to help with their higher education expenses.
Students receiving scholarships this year, their parents, the college they are attending, and major are:
Alex Barnett, daughter of Jamie and Melody Barnett, Peru State College, Secondary Social Science Education
Anneliese Clauson, daughter of Jennifer Blakeman, Kansas State University, Biochemistry
Morgan Cofer, daughter of Mark and Shelly Cofer, University of Nebraska-Omaha, Management and Marketing
Haley Garrison, daughter of Doug and Angela Garrison, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Information Science and Tech/Cyber Security
Jaysa Green-Welch, daughter of Jennifer Welch, Northwest Missouri State University, Early Childhood Education
Braden Graves, son of Jon and Beth Graves, Kansas State University, Athletic Training and Rehabilitation Sciences
Haley Hall, daughter of Brian Hall, Des Moines Area Community College, Nursing
Kaitlyn Hall, daughter of Brian Hall, Northwest Missouri State University, Public Accounting
Collin Hedlund, son of Chris and Marisa Hedlund, North Central Missouri College, Industrial Technology
Natalie Hedlund, daughter of Chris and Marisa Hedlund, Washburn University, Nursing
Phillip Herron, son of Corey and Kristi Herron, University of Missouri, Health Sciences with an Emphasis in Rehabilitation
Alissa Hurst, daughter of Brooks and Lydia Hurst, University of Missouri, Master’s of Science in Nursing
Trenton Kingery, son of Ryan and Jill Kingery, University of Missouri, Civil Engineering
Kelsea Kirwan, daughter of Charlie and Sarawn Kirwan, Northwest Missouri State University, Criminology
Mackenzie Lager, daughter of Alan and Jill Lager, Creighton University, Pharmacy
Peyton Lager, son of Alan and Jill Lager, Northwest Missouri State University, Agronomy/Crop Science
Daniel Lesher, son of Corey and Jennifer Lesher, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Biblical Studies
Jenasey Mace, daughter of Jeff and Angela Mace, Northwest Missouri State University, Early Childhood Education
Claire Martin, daughter of Casey and Jackie Martin, University of Missouri, Communication
Sophia Martin, daughter of Casey and Jackie Martin, University of Missouri, Journalism – Strategic Communication
Reed Miller, son of Samuel and Karen Miller, State Technical College of Missouri, Radiation Protection
Seth Morey, son of Brian and Darci Morey, Northwest Missouri State University, Sports Media
Tarver Muntz, son of Tim and Shannon Muntz, University of Missouri, Biochemistry
Cameron Oswald, son of Josh and Tracy Oswald, Kansas State University, Agribusiness
Bannack Skillen, son of Jim and Amy Skillen, University of Missouri, Journalism
Tessa Rolf, daughter of Mike and Cindy Rolf, University of Missouri, Health Sciences – Health and Wellness Services
Aaron Schlueter, son of Matt and Ann Schlueter, Iowa State University, Agricultural Engineering
Ian Stepp, son of Tony and Eryn Stepp, University of Missouri, Human Development and Family Sciences
Chaney Vogler, daughter of Clay and Jennifer Vogler Northwest Missouri State University, Human Services
Aubrey Watkins, daughter of Jason and Sarah Watkins, Truman State University, Biology with Minors in Spanish and Health Studies
