Boys & Girls Club awards three scholarships to 2024 grads
Club awards $8,000 in scholarship money
YERINGTON, Nev. – As the 2024 school year comes to a close, Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley has awarded three scholarships to local graduating seniors.
The Jerry Ogolin Memorial Scholarship, Larry Shipley Memorial Scholarship and Youth of the Year scholarship, totaling more than $8,000, are going to graduating seniors Riley Aldridge, Juan Ramirez Padilla and Michael Alvarez, respectively. The scholarships were announced at local senior awards.
Jerry Ogolin was a longtime principal at Yerington High School and an avid supporter of and volunteer with Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley and the Night in the Country Music Festival. He passed away in 2016 after fighting cancer for a third time. The Jerry Ogolin Memorial Scholarship was then established and went to Aldridge this year. The graduating senior is planning on attending Oregon State to pursue her degree and further her education. Aldridge served as president of National Honor Society, was a Link Crew Leader and strived to make YHS a better place every day.
The Larry Shipley Give Back scholarship was established by Model Dairy and the Club’s board of directors in 2023. Shipley was affectionately known in the area as the Milk Man and worked for Model Dairy for 30 years. The Club was one of his stops, and over the years, he went from delivering milk to becoming a heavily-involved volunteer. This included taking nearly two weeks off work every year to play a pivotal role in making Night in the County happen. Larry was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and passed away from complications following surgery. The Give Back scholarship goes to a graduating senior pursuing a trade or craft rather than attending a traditional college. Ramirez Padilla will be attending Western Nevada College in the coming semester to obtain his associate degree and welding education.
Youth of the Year, the Club’s premiere award and recognition, goes to an outstanding teen who competes with a speech, series of essays, interviews and application. Alvarez, who also works at the Club, earned the honor in both his freshman and senior years. The soon-to-be graduate has been attending his local Club since he was five, and it’s become a home away from home over the last 13 years. Alvarez is a Junior Staff graduate and will be going to Truckee Meadows Community College this fall to begin his electrician education. He hopes to eventually be able to open his own business back home and give back to his community.
The Club would like to thank Model Dairy, Night in the Country festival-goers and its donors for making these scholarships possible.
MEDIA CONTACT
Nick Beaton
nbeaton@bgcmasonvalley.org
775-684-9438
@Beatonick+