Dec. 19, 2023
Kickapoo High School seniors Pyrson Houzenga and Abby Stowe received full tuition scholarships from Drury University to attend Drury for four years. This award totals $141,600 for each student over four years.
The students competed in the Drury Distinguished Scholars Competition which required at least a 3.81 GPA and ACT score of at least 29. The students were then judged based on an impromptu written essay and a planned presentation. They were two of four students who were chosen from nearly 50 students across the U.S.
“I am excited about this opportunity to have my tuition paid for,” said Abby. “I have always wanted to go to Drury. The scholarship competition wasn’t as stressful as I thought it was going to be, because I do speech and debate and speaking competitions in front of people all the time, so I was used to it.”
“I’m really excited about the close-knit community that the college has and the smaller, more personal, classes that I’ll get to be in,” said Pyrson. “I’m also excited that I get to stay close to my friends and family. But to be honest, I’m mostly excited about the campus during fall. Drury absolutely has the prettiest campus out of all the colleges where I applied. Drury was my top choice. I’d like to thank my teachers, especially Mrs. Wells, Mrs. Armstrong, and Mrs. Jordan-Diemler. And probably also Dr. Powers – he’s kinda cool.”
“We are so, so proud of them,” said KHS communication arts teacher Makayla Jordan-Diemler. “We congratulate Abby and Pyrson. Thank you to the KHS staff and teachers for supporting students the way you do.”
