Elizabeth Mae Kobeszka Scholarship
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The Elizabeth Mae Kobeszka Scholarship Fund of the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation was established in 2007 by her mother, Vickie Kobeszka, and her family including sisters Christy and Katie. They established this fund to honor Elizabeth (Beth), a 2001 valedictorian at Liberty Benton High School.
During her junior year of high school, Beth took it into her own hands to contact Zonta of Findlay and meet with their members to establish a Z Club chapter at Liberty Benton. Z Club is a youth organization whose members work to improve their society and the world. She served as the first president of Liberty Benton’s Z Club. In high school, she was valedictorian, senior class president and was the captain of both her cross country and track teams. In 2001, Beth was the named national winner of the Amateur Athletic Union’s Youth Excel Award. This award is given to a high school athlete who has excelled in academics, athletics and community service while overcoming adversity. In 2002, Beth was chosen as an Olympic Torch Runner.
After high school, Beth attended Northwestern University, where she was an honors student, Habitat For Humanity volunteer, talented musician and world traveler. She participated on the women’s cross country team and was named to the Academic All-Big 10 Team. She was also an admired and active member of Delta Zeta sorority. Friends remember a girl who worked hard, was modest about her accomplishments, and was always able to cheer people up with her jokes and positive attitude. Beth’s friends and sorority sisters enjoyed spending time with Beth because of her unique sense of humor. In 2003, Beth was awarded The Council of One Hundred’s Trailblazer Award. Each year this women’s alumni mentoring group at Northwestern presents the Trailblazer Award to an outstanding undergraduate woman who has demonstrated courage, initiative, innovation, risk-taking, and leadership.
After graduation, Beth worked as a sales representative for Johnson & Johnson in Chicago. An avid triathlete, she also joined the XXX Racing Team and began competing in bike races throughout the region. On June 30, 2007, at the age of 24, Beth was killed in a biking accident during the 20th Annual Proctor Cycling Classic in Peoria, Illinois. Continuing her lifelong legacy of helping others, Beth was an organ donor.
Not only was Beth a former TCF scholarship recipient having received the Marie Berry Scholarship (2001-2004), both her sister, Katie, and mother, Vickie, are also TCF scholarship recipients. Katie, a 2004 Liberty Benton graduate, received the Jean C. Graham Women’s Scholarship, the Marie Berry Scholarship and the Floyd and Alice Curran Scholarship. Vickie received the Findlay Branch AAUW scholarship in 2004. The Kobeszka Family wanted to establish this scholarship in Hancock County, specifically for Liberty Benton, because of the community support they had received since moving to Findlay. This is the first TCF scholarship for Liberty Benton High School.
Standards for Determining Eligibility
- The applicant must be a graduating senior of Liberty Benton High School.
- The applicant must plan to be a full-time student enrolled for their first year at an accredited university, college, technical school, or community college.
- The applicant must have maintained a 3.25 GPA or above while in high school.
- The applicant must demonstrate a positive attitude and be ready and willing to go above and beyond..
- The applicant must be involved in the community and/or church (i.e. Z-club, Habitat for Humanity, etc.).
- Applicant must be a resident of Hancock County and a citizen of the United States of America.
- Financial need is a requirement
- Students who receive full tuition scholarship support from other organizations or institutions will not be considered for this scholarship.