June 20, 2008
CONTACT:
Frances Ryan, Marketing Committee Chair, 509/674-6020, fvcryan@gmail.com Petra Shenk, Scholarship Committee, pshenk@umail.ucsb.edu

Joey Takes A Local Woman to School; Plans to Take a Deserving Someone on a New Journey Soon

ROSLYN, Wash. – The Joseph A. Aliseo Jr. Foundation awarded its first scholarship on June 5. The “Joey Takes You to School” award was presented to life-long Cle Elum resident, Kayla Snider. With plans to major in Anthropology and Archaeology at Western Washington University, Snider was chosen for the award by the foundation’s scholarship committee after submitting her application while attending Cle Elum-Roslyn High School.

The scholarship, named in memory of Roslyn-native Joe Aliseo, is based on six words that exemplify who Joe was to his family and friends: give, enjoy, remember, share, dream, and help. “Kayla’s application really stood out,” says Petra Shenk, scholarship committee chair. “She is a true example of what Joe believed in. I am certain that she would have made him so proud.”

As a child, Snider had an imagination that saw her turning an old pickup truck into a pirate ship and an old, unused, overgrown brick patio into a castle. Now, her imagination is running wild with all of the “real-world” things she plans to do while in school and with her career after earning her degree. She hopes to study abroad in Italy, and maybe one day work with an excavation team at Pompeii. Snider plans to study the Roman and Greek time periods, and has a passion for ancient history. “The everyday life and customs of our human ancestors has always fascinated me,” she remarks. “I have also always loved the prospect of traveling and experiencing the richness of our world’s many cultures – past and present. For me, archaeology is the answer to both of these.”

“Receiving this scholarship is such an honor, it will really help with my first year’s tuition and will help make my academic career a success,” says Snider. “I am so unbelievably grateful to have been chosen for it.”

For her parents, Mark and Laura Snider, they always knew she would do great things when she grew up. “To see Kayla go to college and follow her dreams makes us extremely proud,” says her mother, Laura. “We know she will do amazing things, maybe even find Atlantis!”

The foundation’s second award, “Life’s a Journey,” is accepting applications until September 15. The vocational training award is intended to support a person who wants to make life changes that don’t include a four-year learning institution. The award is available to help someone through all of those unexpected changes where a person wants to try a new career path, but might need a little help in doing it. The award can help someone with the costs for a Commercial Truck Driving License, Welding Certificate, Longshoreman Union application dues; or is can assist someone hoping to go from waitress to hair stylist, fisherman to librarian, or stay-at-home parent to bookkeeper.

The scholarships are not based solely on academic merit, taking into account that many bright and industrious individuals do not always shine their brightest in a traditional school setting. Because of this, high school graduates as well as graduates of alternative high schools and the General Education Diploma (GED) are eligible to apply for scholarships. Individuals who have resided in Kittitas County for more than three years, or who attended Kittitas County schools for at least two consecutive years, and can demonstrate financial need, are eligible to apply.

The application process incorporates a personal essay; letters of recommendation; extracurricular activities, which may include work history; and a statement of financial need. Through the application process, the scholarship committee hopes to find an individual with a clear vision and educational goal for whom an Eat at Joe’s Scholarship will benefit greatly. Scholarship applications are available on the foundation’s Web site (http://www.eat-at-joes.org) or through scholarship coordinators at area schools.

The Joseph A. Aliseo Jr. Foundation was started to honor former Kittitas County resident Joe Aliseo, who died in April 2007. Joe was an avid cook, and often joked that he would like to open his own cafÈ called Eat at Joe’s. To further honor Joe’s passion, the foundation started an annual fundraiser dinner, aptly named Eat at Joe’s. The dinner event is in the style of an Italian bistro where friends and family gather to remember Joe while enjoying traditional Italian fare as well as a live and silent auction. The next Eat at Joe’s dinner will be held on Sept. 20. For ticket and venue information, visit the foundation’s Web site at http://www.eat-at-joes.org.