Charles & Orene Hinds - Odell, Nebraska, High School Scholarships

The *Charles and Orene Hinds – Odell, Nebraska, High School Scholarship *was established in 1990. Charles once reflected, “Orene and I did not have children of our own, so I thought it would be nice to provide scholarships for young people from my hometown.” A graduate of Odell High School, Charles earned a degree from UNL and began his career with Lincoln Trust Company. He retired in 1968 as vice president and trust officer of the National Bank of Commerce. Orene was a seamstress and was later employed by a local department store, hospital and hatchery. Orene passed away in 1995, and Charles followed in 2000.

To apply, you must be a current graduating senior who resides in townships that were included in the former Odell High School district (Diller-Odell High School currently). Applicants must demonstrate scholastic application and achievement with the intention of pursuing postsecondary education. For this scholarship, scholastic application is defined as achieving a GPA of 2.75 or better on a 4.0 scale. You must be planning to attend an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university and be a full-time student. Financial need will only be utilized as a tie-breaker in the selection process. The essential criterion is performance, and preference shall be given to those applicants who do not have a history of drug, alcohol or tobacco use. Selection committee is authorized to disqualify applicants based upon known alcohol or substance use. Recipients may renew this scholarship for a period of up to 4 years total, provided they maintain a 2.75 GPA. To receive subsequent scholarship awards, previous recipients must annually submit a renewal application provided by Lincoln Community Foundation and their cumulative college transcript(s).

Additional Application Requirements: 1) Special Essay – Describe your future plans and a brief overview of your long-range academic or vocational goals. Describe your attitudes and beliefs related to drugs and alcohol. How have these beliefs impacted your high school experience? Your essay should be no more than 250 words.
2) Two (2) references’ e-mail addresses. References will be notified to fill out an online form. References must be teachers, counselors, case workers, clergy, employers, neighbors, etc. (references from family members are not acceptable).