Hannah Fitton Living Your Dreams Scholarship

Background:

Hannah Fitton has chosen to be defined by what she has achieved and not to be defined by the limitations of her hearing and eyesight. A graduate of Appleton North High School, Hannah was diagnosed at an early age with Usher Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that results in hearing loss and visual impairment. Recognizing the uncertainness of Usher Syndrome, Hannah endeavors to live in the moment and inspire others to pursue their dreams to the fullest. Hannah relentlessly pursued her passions of music and swimming. She played cello in both her high school and college orchestras. Swimming in high school and college led her to represent Great Britain at the Deaflympics and Deaf World Championships, becoming a multi medalist at both events. Hannah has also coached both Special Olympics and YMCA swim teams. In 2014 Hannah graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University with a major in Sociology & Anthropology and a minor in Rhetoric. After graduation she moved to Chicago and is employed as a Market Research Analyst. Like many people living with a disability Hannah has become an “everyday innovator,” determined to find solutions to problems that will allow her to unleash her full potential to be able to realize her dreams. The solutions haven’t always worked the first time but living her dream has given her the courage to keep trying until she finds the best solution. As a high school senior, Hannah was awarded the Margaret Ferris Scholarship for Hard of Hearing Students to support her educational goals. She established the Hannah Fitton Living Your Dreams Scholarship to give back to her home community and to encourage students with disabilities to live their dreams

Eligibility: (taken into consideration to determine recipients)

• Graduating seniors from a public high school in Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kimberly, and Kaukauna • Has a physical disability • Is planning to pursue post-secondary education at an accredited college, university, or technical college as a full-time student

Award Amount:

One non-renewable award of $813 for cost of attendance, payable for the 1st semester of college.

Selection:

Recipients are recommended each spring by the Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee.

Collecting the Award & Payment Procedure:

Recipients must fill out and submit Scholarship Acceptance Form and Scholarship Verification Form through the Scholarship Portal (https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=cffvrscholar). Recipients are required to provide supporting documents as instructed in the Scholarship Verification Form, such as class registration/list with credits listed, proof of major, grade transcript, etc. After approval of online Scholarship Verification Form, the scholarship check will be paid directly to the school the recipient will be attending. The Community Foundation communicates with students via email; it is the student’s responsibility to keep their Scholarship Portal account updated with their current email address.

Loss of Eligibility:

Failure to register as a full-time student for the first semester of the freshman year of college.

Further Information:

• Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region o Website www.cffoxvalley.org/scholarships/ o Email scholarships@cffoxvalley.org o Phone 920.702.7629