(above) Emily Ensslin and Ian Gurland
Van Dellen Scholarship Recipients for 2020 Announced
The Westfield Foundation is happy to announce Emily Ensslin and Ian Gurland as the Clarence H. and Florence Horn Van Dellen Scholarship recipients for 2020. The Van Dellen Scholarship is $5,000 a year for four years totaling $20,000. The selection criteria for the scholarship are: Community Service, Academic Achievement (top 25% of class), Character, Financial Need and Leadership.
Early in her life, Emily developed a desire to become a nurse and chose activities to support this decision. She has served as a Student Athletic Trainer since ninth grade. As a sophomore, she spent two weeks shadowing an internal medicine physician, both in his office and on visits to Overlook Hospital. Emily also joined the Westfield Rescue Squad, where she is training to attain EMT certification.
Emily has always very involved with community service, especially through St. Helen’s Church by volunteering at St Josephs’ Soup Kitchen in Elizabeth. She coordinated the making and delivery of 175 handmade blankets for homeless individuals and veterans.
At Westfield High School, Emily was a member of the National Honor Society and earned Honorable Mention Cum Laude on the national Latin Exam. Emily competed in Crew at WHS and served as captain of the high school team.
Emily will study Nursing at Northeastern University this fall. She plans on volunteering as an EMT on Northeastern’s campus. For fun, Emily loves listening to music, working out (skiing, hiking, biking), hanging out with friends, painting, and making jewelry.
At Westfield High School, Ian demonstrated academic excellence as well as a true commitment to building community and serving others. He shared his passion for science and music through leadership, serving as President of the WHS Science Olympiad Team and as Percussion Section Leader in the WHS Blue Devil Marching Band.
Ian was among the top fifty scorers in the nation in the US National Chemistry Olympiad, was selected for the New Jersey Region Band, and is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. He also co-led a social skills group for Westfield elementary schoolers and created a student-run technology help desk to aid his peers in adapting to remote instruction.
During the summer months, Ian enjoys performing atmospheric chemistry research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, improving his piano improv, and spending time with his four younger siblings.
Ian will be attending Brown University in the fall, where he plans to further his studies in science, mathematics and music, and hopes to find new opportunities to serve his community. He also plans to continue working hard to make his peers laugh no matter how hard the problem they are working together to solve.
The Westfield Rotary’s Scholarship Committee also selects several scholarship winners on behalf of funds administered by The Westfield Foundation. Two top scholarships were awarded in memory of Charles and Florence Wallace totaling $15,000 each to be paid over the course of four years. The recipients are Jeremy Kronheimer (Carnegie Mellon University) and Deborah Obiajulu (Harvard University).
The recipient of the $5,000 Scholarship in Memory of Chester A. Gerdes, is William Litchholt (University of Pittsburgh). The Wallace $5,000 scholarship was awarded to Casimir Malak (Mason Gross at Rutgers University). In addition, the Linda Read Memorial Scholarship for $10,000 was awarded to John Czarnecki. The Read Law Scholarships were awarded to Emily Ensslin (Northeastern University), Theresa Lizzo (George Washington University) and Annabella Cerria (University of St. Andrews in Scotland) Since 1975, the mission of the Westfield Foundation has been to provide funding support in the arts, health, aging, historic preservation, social services and civic projects. In pursuit of these goals, the Foundation has granted over $7,200,000 to various organizations. Money to support the Foundation’s grants has been and continues to be provided by concerned and caring Westfield residents.
