Our Named Scholarships

Wayne Hooper Memorial Brass Scholarship

Wayne Hooper was born for music! He dedicated his entire life to composing, arranging, singing, playing, recording, publishing and directing. For the glory of God and the promotion of His Gospel. His original music and arrangements total more than 1,500 songs, including his best-loved We Have This Hope, which was written for the 1962 General Conference session of the Seventh-day Adventist church, and is still loved and sung in Adventist churches around the world.

Wayne particularly enjoyed brass instruments. He played trombone, French horn, and baritone horn; and he composed many arrangements for brass. In recognition of this passion, Wayne and his family, before his death in 2007, envisioned a perpetual endowment that would encourage budding musicians to develop their talent, thus continuing Wayne’s tradition of excellence in sacred brass music.

Through this fund Wayne Hooper’s family and friends have made possible four $1,500 scholarships for UCA students or prospective students.

Eligibility Criteria: Successful candidates will be UCA students or prospective students with a passion for music. They will be earnestly developing skills with brass instruments. They must be consistent in practice and able to demonstrate progress in their musical abilities. They will exhibit leadership qualities and be considering a career in music.

Apply for a Wayne Hooper Brass Music Scholarship

GIVE to the Wayne Hooper Scholarship Fund today!

Olin Peach Memorial Scholarship

Mr. Olin Peach served as UCA’s beloved History teacher, mission trip coordinator, and ski club facilitator for more than 40 years. While Mr. Peach loved all students, his heart was especially drawn to achievers—those students who studied hard even though they may have achieved only average grades, those students who developed a positive work ethic and contributed significantly to their school bill.

Following Mr. Peach’s death, April 9, 2010, his family decided to continue his legacy by recognizing student achievers. Former students, parents and friends who wish to acknowledge the positive influence Mr. Peach had in their lives are encouraged to support the Olin Peach Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Eligibility Criteria: For returning UCA students with financial need who exhibit an outstanding work ethic, put forth strong academic effort, and who are good citizens. Recipients of the Olin Peach Memorial Scholarship are selected by the UCA faculty

GIVE to the Olin Peach Memorial Scholarship Fund today!

Eric Molstead Memorial Scholarship

Eric Molstead, a member of the Upper Columbia Academy Class of 1980, died in an airplane accident while returning from his 25th Class Reunion in 2005. The Eric Molstead Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established to encourage and support young women interested in Math and Science careers. "Educational research has shown that women are under-represented in science and technology. Hopefully the Eric Molstead Scholarship will enhance girls' beliefs about their math/science abilities," says Richard Molstead, Eric's father, and Fund Agent. This $1,500 scholarship is renewable each year for students who remain at UCA and who maintain a 3.5 GPA.

Scholarship Criteria: UCA freshmen ladies who demonstrate interest and academic achievement in science and/or math, and who plan to pursue a career in science or math are eligible to apply.

Apply for an Eric Molstead Memorial Scholarship

GIVE to the Eric Molstead Memorial Scholarship Fund today!

Faye R. (Prewitt) Kwapien Memorial Scholarship

Faye R. (Prewitt) Kwapien, ’51, never got to graduate with her UCA class. It was not due to a lack of appreciation, however. In fact, she loved UCA. But, her father had just passed away, and her mother was struggling to pay the medical bills and keep food on the table for her nine children. So, Faye decided the best way to help the family was to quit school and get a job.

Despite her own financial challenges, Faye found a way to send her four children to UCA. Her whole life she believed in the life-changing nature of Christian education. Because of this, her husband, Ted, after her death in May 2014, decided to establish a Named Scholarship Fund to assist students with obtaining a Christian education at UCA.

Scholarship Criteria: Students must demonstrate financial need; must reside within the territory of Upper Columbia Conference; must maintain a 3.0 GPA; and must complete a Faye R. (Prewitt) Kwapien Memorial Scholarship Application Form.

Apply for a Faye R. (Prewitt) Kwapien Memorial Scholarship

Give to the Faye R. (Prewitt) Kwapien Memorial Scholarship fund today!

Littler Family Scholarship

The Littler family is a quiet, hard-working farm family from Troy, Idaho. They love YVA/UCA, and when Walter Littler made out his will, he designated $15,000 for an endowment for student scholarships. He said, “Four generations of Littlers graduated from YVA/UCA, and we just want to say Thanks!”

Eligibility Criteria: Student need. Distributions from the Littler Family Fund are presented along with FoundationONE’s general grants.

Give to the Littler Family Scholarship fund today!

Lamberton Family Scholarship

Many parents would deem educating 14 kids in an Adventist boarding school an impossibility, but Henry and Katie Lamberton stepped out in faith, and God “parted the waters.” According to YVA & UCA alumni records, Henry and Katie had students at UCA every year for 27 years, from 1923 to 1950! The next generation of Lambertons also sent their children, and the next. Now four generations of Lambertons have attended, and the number of Lamberton alumni stands at more than 100. One of Katie and Henry’s sons, John and his wife, Thelma, Lamberton taught at UCA (1952 – 1958).

In 2011 Henry and Katie’s oldest grandson, Jerry Dawes, decided it was time the Lamberton family began demonstrating their gratitude. Jerry began passing the hat at the annual Lamberton family reunion. This generated the seed money to start the Lamberton Family Scholarship Fund. Then in 2016, Henry Lamberton, ’66, and Dan Lamberton, ’67, brought the Scholarship Fund to fruition.

They decided to not only honor the family, but the Brewster community where the Lamberton family lived and grew and loved!! Brewster is a prime region for growing cherries and apples, and many of the Lamberton children earned money to attend YVA or UCA by working in the orchards. It is fitting, then, that the purpose of the Lamberton Family & Brewster Heritage Scholarship is to assist students who have a very strong work ethic.

Eligibility Criteria: Students with financial need and a strong work ethic.

Apply for a Lamberton Family Scholarship

Give to the Lamberton family Scholarship fund today!

Sheila lynn Larson Scholarship

Sheila Lynn Larson was a stellar homemaker, a fine craftsman, and a lover of music. The Sheila Lynn Larson Scholarship is for Upper Columbia Academy students who have an interest in some of the things Sheila enjoyed—music, home economics, and industrial arts.

Sheila loved to crochet! She taught herself to crochet, and each Christmas she blessed family and friends with beautiful hand-made Afghans, table runners, and doilies.

Sheila worked alongside her husband, Allen, in the cabinet making shop, operating the machines with precision as she cut and assembled cabinet parts. One of the last projects that she and Allen did together was the cabinets in the new UCA cafeteria.

Sheila did not, as a child, get to learn a musical instrument, but she saw to it that her kids did! Bryan, her son, says, “Mom encouraged both Tonya and me to learn the piano. Then we learned woodwinds, trumpet, and guitar. This impacted me greatly, as I now have a lifelong love of music!”

In recognition of her dedication to God, family, and community, her husband has established a memorial scholarship fund to benefit Upper Columbia Academy students.

Eligibility Criteria: To qualify for a Sheila Lynn Larson scholarship, students must attend UCA, demonstrate an interest in music, home economics, or industrial arts, maintain a 3.0 GPA, and demonstrate financial need. Students must write a short essay and complete the Sheila Lynn Larson Application form.

Apply for a Sheila Lynn Larson Scholarship

Give to the Sheila Lynn Larson Scholarship fund today!

ROBERTS FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP

In early 1937 Kate Roberts found herself in a most difficult situation. Her husband had just died suddenly, leaving her with nine children. Timing couldn’t have been worse—it was the depths of the great depression.

Kate was a woman of faith, a committed Seventh-day Adventist. She was a devoted mother, not afraid of hard work, and she resolved to, somehow, some way, keep her nine children in Christian schools.

The family was faithful in church attendance and God blessed. They not only survived, they thrived! “Mother was never anxious about money,” says Rich. “She kept the family finances under control and taught us to give thanks for our simple life. We learned to work together and help each other.” God answered Kate’s prayer. All nine of her children were educated in Adventist schools, and all nine became productive, contributing citizens.

In 2017, Barbara, the 6th child, was in a care center and not expected to live. Her husband, Dr. Clarence (Bud) Carnahan, began reflecting on his mother-in-law’s determination, commitment to Jesus, and the impact that Christian education had had on the Roberts family. He wanted to honor Kate, and the entire Roberts family, and he decided to spearhead a new endowment fund—the Roberts Family Scholarship Fund. The first Roberts Family Scholarship(s) will be awarded in the fall of 2018.

Eligibility Criteria: To qualify for a Roberts Family Scholarship, students must complete a Roberts Family Scholarship Application form, enroll as a student at UCA, and demonstrate financial need.

Apply for a Roberts Family Scholarship

Give to the Roberts Family Scholarship fund today!

HARVEY & VERNA MOHR FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP

Harvey and Verna Mohr considered themselves blessed to have had the opportunity of attending Adventist schools. Throughout their lives they eagerly supported the grade school in Grandview, Washington, the Academies their children attended, and Walla Walla College.
The Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship Fund was established by their son, John, to acknowledge his parents’ positive influence. John says, “They taught me by example that God blesses as we share His blessing with others. This helped shape my philosophy of life. So now with this endowment we wish to continue to share God’s blessing to our family with others. Beccie and I have seen over and over again that the friends we make in our formative years deeply impacts our lives and our relation to God. We praise God for His blessing in our own lives and the lives of our children. Adventist education is not a sacrifice—it is an investment in our children’s future!” 
The Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship Fund was established in June 2018. The funds have been invested and we anticipate awarding the first Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship during the 2019-2020 school year.  
Scholarship Criteria: To qualify for a Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship, students must earnestly desire a Christian education and apply for admission to UCA, must have educational and spiritual goals, must demonstrate financial need, must obtain a letter of recommendation from their pastor, and must complete a Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship Application form.

Apply for a Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship

GIVE to the Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Fund

GRANDVIEW PIONEER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The Grandview Seventh-day Adventist Church was started in the early 1900’s by a group of people who were very dedicated to the Lord and to the furthering of the gospel. From the very start they realized that Christian education was important and they established a school. The church and school grew until in the 1950’s and 1960’s the church had more than 500 members attending and a school of 70-100 students.
Those early pioneers were very liberal in their support of the church and especially of Adventist education. Thus, the Grandview Pioneer Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to keep alive the memory and vision of those early pioneers—people who gave sacrificially so, not only their own children, but also the children of those that could not afford Christian education, could attend Adventist schools.
Scholarship Criteria: The new Grandview Pioneer Memorial Scholarship is open to any student who wishes to attend Upper Columbia Academy, who is active in his/her home church, and who can demonstrate financial need. The first Grandview Pioneer Memorial Scholarships will be awarded during the 2019-2020 school year.

The Grandview Pioneer Memorial Scholarship honors these families:

• Adams
• Anderson
• Atkins
• Bock
• Boyd
• Burke
• Burkhart
• Carrier
• Christianson
• Crooker
• Crouch
• Davis
• Dickie
• Dorner
• Dunham
• Aunt Gravey
• Guenther
• Hunt
• Hunting
• Jorgensen
• Liedig
• Ludden
• Mackouski
• Maxted
• Merritt
• Meyer
• Mohr
• Morgan
• Nelson
• Neuharth
• Parker
• Payne
• Reiber
• Rogers
• Schoeplfin
• Schultz
• Vance
• White
• Williams
• Wilson
• Yates

Apply for a Harvey & Verna Mohr Family Scholarship

GIVE to the Grandview Pioneer Memorial Scholarship

LONDA (SLAWSON) RAINES SCHOLARSHIP

The Londa (Slawson) Raines Scholarship was initiated by Larry and Linda Slawson, Londa’s brother and sister-in-law. “Four generations of Slawsons have been educated in Adventist Schools,” they say, “and we would like to help other students experience lifelong friendships, a top-notch education, and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Londa graduated from Milo Adventist Academy in 1974, then went to Walla Walla College where she earned an Associates Degree in Office Administration. At Walla Walla, Londa’s roommate was Linda Emick. Larry’s roommates were Scott Raines and John Lowry. As it turned out, the Slawson siblings all ended up swapping roommates—Larry married Linda, Sheryl married John, and Londa married Scott!

Londa enjoyed music. She and Scott sang duets and performed with numerous choirs and musical groups. Londa held various administrative jobs including one at the Upper Columbia Conference office and one at the North Pacific Union Conference office.

Londa is remembered as a supportive friend. She also packed a lot of attitude in her petite frame. Along with words of encouragement, she sometimes shared words of counsel. More than one of Londa’s bosses insisted they were not her boss, Londa was theirs.

Her feisty personality would prove useful in later years. It helped her fight cancer twice—first putting breast cancer into remission for five years, and then surviving stage IV terminal cancer for 20 months. During her long battle Londa expressed her strong faith as “Sky high!” and proclaimed “I BELIEVE!” On Saturday, July 13, 2013, Londa went to her rest.

Eligibility Criteria: To qualify for a Londa (Slawson) Raines Memorial Scholarship students must validate that there is financial need, complete an application form, and be involved in UCA’s vocal music programs.

GIVE to the Londa (Slawson) Raines Scholarship Scholarship Fund

LEADBETTER FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP

The Leadbetter Family Scholarship was created by Ray Leadbetter, a 1954 graduate of Upper Columbia Academy. When Ray was five years old, his father, Cecil, was killed in an automobile accident. Ray’s mother did her very best to meet the needs of her three growing boys, but the Great Depression was raging. It was all she could do to keep food on the table.

Eventually, Ray’s mother remarried and had two more children. When her second marriage broke up, Frances moved her family to Colville, Washington, to be close to relatives. At the time of the move, Ray was 12 years old. He attended the local Colville public high school grades 9-11.

One day an Upper Columbia Academy (UCA) faculty member visited the Colville Church and talked about UCA. Ray decided UCA was the place for him! That summer he got a job, but at the end of the summer the farmer paid him only $80. Eighty dollars was not nearly enough to enroll at UCA. What a disappointment!

Ray was determined and enrolled anyway, promising to work his way through. He worked two jobs—for the maintenance department and as a monitor in the dormitory. With God’s blessing he was able to pay his school bill. “Going to UCA was a life-changing experience” Ray says, “UCA pointed me in the direction of a fulfilling life of service.”

Following college, Ray taught History and English at Auburn Academy for eight years; then he transferred to Andrews University where he served 33 years. Ray retired as a full professor in 2000.

Eligibility Criteria: To qualify for a Leadbetter Family Scholarship, UCA students must excel in one of these area: History, English, or Music Performance and who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0.

Give to the Leadbetter Family Scholarship Fund

Nancy Driscoll Engle Memorial Scholarship

Nancy Driscoll Engle, PhD, endeavored, through her book, Influential Women of Spokane: Building a Fair City, to impact society--she hoped to raise the level of respect for women for future generations. She was also a mother, musician, and community volunteer.

Having attended Adventist schools, Nancy was eager to see Adventist schools thrive, so she freely shared her time, talents, and treasure with the schools her children attended. In 2004, when FoundationONE was established, she became a founding board member, serving tirelessly for 15 years. FoundationONE would not be what it is today without Nancy’s vision, energy, and commitment!

In 2020, about the time COVID began to impact our lives, Nancy began struggling with her health. The doctors tried various drugs, but nothing seemed to help. Her health steadily declined until, on May 10, 2021, at the tender age of 58, Nancy passed to her rest. Following her death, her husband, Daniel, and children, Amber and Zach, decided to establish an endowed scholarship in Nancy’s memory.

Eligibility Criteria: For 1) women students with financial need; 2) who are active in their local church; 3) who enjoy music; and 4) who have a heart for giving and serving others.

Give to the Nancy Driscoll Engle Memorial Scholarship Fund

Dan Davis Family Scholarship

Dan Davis’s mother joined the Adventist church when he was six years old, and she decided that her children must have a Christian education. But the closest Adventist school was 140 miles from the Davis family ranch, near Big Hole, Montana. So, late each summer, Mr. Davis would take his wife and the children to Missoula and settle them in for the school year. Then when spring came, he would move them back home for the summer.

Eventually, Dan grew up, got married, and had a family of his own. He and his wife, Odita, educated their children in Adventist schools too, and they freely invested their time, talents and resources in Adventist schools. When Dan’s grandchildren were ready for Academy, several of them came to Upper Columbia Academy. Thus, it was, that Dan and Odita Davis began investing in UCA.

The Davis Fireside Room at UCA and the Davis Family Scholarship are two of the many involvements of this this wonderful Christian family.

Eligibility Criteria: Students must demonstrate financial need and complete a Dan Davis Family Scholarship Application Form.

Give to the Dan Davis Family Scholarship Fund

Bill & Judy Putnam Scholarship

Bill & Judy Putnam are known for their generous hearts. Bill could often be found in his workshop making personal gifts for others. Judy loved to host their “melting pot” family. Whether it was cooking meals, washing their guests’ clothes, or taking someone shopping, she blessed others with her thoughtful generosity.

During their granddaughter’s, first year at UCA, Bill died unexpectedly in his sleep. He never got to see the beautiful grounds and buildings or experience the wonderful caring community that had such a large influence in his children’s and grandchildren’s lives.

After his passing, Bill’s family wanted to pay tribute to this wonderful, caring couple who brought so much love and joy into their lives, and they decided to establish a scholarship in Bill & Judy’s honor.

Eligibility Criteria: For students who come from single parent homes or students whose parents cannot support them in their quest for a Christian education.

Give to the Bill & Judy Putnam Scholarship Fund

Class of 1985 Scholarship

In December of 2021, Doug Jorgensen, the 1985 Senior Class President, joined the FoundationONE board. One of his first moves was to lead his class in establishing a Class Scholarship. Mindy Weber, FoundationONE president and a member of the Class of 1985, eagerly joined Doug in reaching out to classmates. “It is not so much about gift size as it is about showing support,” they said. “UCA set us up for success, now let’s show our gratitude and help current UCA students. We have over 100 class members; we can easily do this!”

Class members began to give. Some chose to set up a monthly donation. Others gave a year-end lump sum gift. Then, in October 2022 someone offered a matching challenge. This was just the incentive the Class of 1985 needed. In less than one year they achieved their first benchmark--$25,000!

Eligibility Criteria: Students with financial need.

Give to the Class of 1985 Scholarship Fund

Class of 2007 Scholarship

In 2021, an anonymous member of the Class of 2007 spearheaded an initiative to raise funds for the very first Class Scholarship. This individual said, “Attending UCA was not a given for me, but I was fortunate to receive one of the first FoundationONE scholarships! UCA was a wonderful place to grow. It was a safe place to ask questions about God, about life. Now I want to do something to give back and help others attend UCA.”

The Class of 2007 caught the vision and within two years they had raised $25,000—the minimum to begin awarding scholarships. Even young alumni who are still paying off college loans and getting their careers and families established can make a difference when they do it together!

Eligibility Criteria: Students with financial need.

Give to the Class of 2007 Scholarship Fund