Two Oklahoma high school seniors have been named Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholars for outstanding leadership, civic involvement and academic talent.
Erin Lynae Slagell, Weatherford High School, and Madison Grace Eulberg, Meeker High School, will each receive a $2,000 award through the Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholarship program.
The Chancellor’s Scholars Program was created in 1990 with private funds. The program was renamed in 2006 to honor Brisch, who served as chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education for 15 years. Brisch retired in 2003 and passed away in February 2006.
The 2020 Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholars were selected from nominations made by high school principals statewide.
“Chancellor Hans Brisch Scholars distinguish themselves academically and through community service, and they personify excellence in service and academic achievement,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson. “This year’s student scholars are truly exceptional. The State Regents and I congratulate them as they join an elite group of student leaders who are committed to making a difference in their communities, and wish them continued success as they pursue their college degrees.”
Erin Slagell was elected Key Club treasurer and vice president as well as treasurer for her school’s National Honor Society chapter. She also was selected to participate in the Weatherford High School Leadership Lab Mentoring Program, Superintendent Joy Hofmeister’s 2020 Youth Advisory Board, the University of Central Oklahoma’s Leadership Conference, and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Youth Leadership Council.
She has received numerous awards and honors, including recognition as an Oklahoma Hall of Fame Gaylord Pickens History Competition Scholarship recipient; an Oklahoma Department of Securities Invest Ed STARS Program state winner; an Oklahoma 4-H Top 10 Hall of Fame member; an Oklahoma 4-H Key Club and Custer County Hall of Fame recipient; and an Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Academic All Stater nominee. She is taking concurrent enrollment courses at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, is a member of the Oklahoma Honor Society and National Honor Society, and is ranked first in her class. She will graduate with a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Oklahoma State University in the fall, where she has been accepted into the Honors Program.
Madison Eulberg volunteers with several local community organizations, including STEM Night at Meeker Elementary School, Move-In Day and Welcome Week with Oklahoma Baptist University, SkillsUSA Community Clean-Up Day, and the tutoring of younger students in various subjects. She has organized multiple bake sales and towel drives for the Meeker Animal Hospital, raising over $1,000 for its emergency fund, which helps stray animals and families that cannot afford necessary operations for their pets.
She donates her time to various STEM and robotics camps at Gordon Cooper Technology Center, teaching young kids the basic programming and building procedures of LEGO Robotics. She participated in a Mother/Daughter STEM Night, inviting mothers and daughters from the community to spend time together participating in STEM activities. She also participates in Le’go Your LEGO Drive, a donation drive with a goal to donate LEGO kits to children in children’s hospitals, where the kits are used as therapy tools to help them cope with their current situation. To date, they have donated more than 2,200 LEGO kits to 10 different hospitals across five states. She and her robotics team also initiated and implemented a new service project called STEM On Wheels, transforming a donated trailer into a mobile camp to take to rural schools. They developed curriculum and a budget for the camp and solicited financial support from local businesses, securing a $15,000 grant that will fund the camp for three years to serve an estimated nearly 2,000 kids in the first year.
Eulberg also serves as captain of the Academic Team, president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter, captain of the Aeronautics Team, and senior class treasurer. She was named Outstanding Student in several subjects; is a member of the Academic Team, Student Council, National Technical Honor Society and National Honor Society; and is ranked first in her class. She will graduate with a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend Oklahoma State University in the fall.
Brisch Scholars are academically talented high school seniors with outstanding leadership ability and a commitment to the enhancement of their communities as demonstrated through their involvement in high school and/or community programs or projects that have resulted in an improvement of the learning environment of the school or the social betterment of the community.
In the 30 years since its inception, the Chancellor’s Scholars program has provided scholarships for more than 100 deserving students. Private gifts, including professional honoraria from the current and past chancellors, support the program, which honors not only Brisch but the office of the chancellor and all individuals who serve Oklahoma in that position.