RHINELANDER, Wis.
(April 10, 2023) – Cousins Subs ®, alongside its
Make It Better Foundation and partner, Donald Driver, name Ava Lamers of Rhinelander
High School as the first-place winner of a $7,500 Driven at Heart Scholarship.
Lamers
is one of four Wisconsin high school senior finalists who took home
scholarships as part of the inaugural Driven at Heart scholarship contest. She
was selected as a finalist due to her ability to excel academically while being
a three-sport athlete and dedicated community volunteer.
In
high school, Lamers participated in
basketball, soccer and volleyball. She served as captain and received
all-conference honors for each sport. She led Rhinelander’s conference in goals
and assists in soccer, and broke multiple school records in basketball.
Lamers simultaneously maintained a rigorous academic
and extracurricular schedule. She is a student council executive board member,
National Honors Society inductee, HOSA member, AP scholar, Link Crew and Hodag
Empower peer mentor, and a volunteer for numerous community organizations.
Through
her hard work, Lamers obtained a 4.5 GPA and will attend the University of
Montana in the fall to pursue a doctoral degree in physical therapy.
“I
have always loved helping others and giving back to a community that has given
so much to me,” she said. “This scholarship opportunity shows student-athletes
that hard work and giving back does not go unnoticed. Being able to represent
the Rhinelander community as an accomplished student-athlete is something that
means a lot to me, and I do not take for granted.”
Joining
Lamers is Colin Belton of Wausau, Wis. who also received a $7,500 scholarship,
and second-place winners, Audrey Rabitz of Manitowoc, Wis. and Dalton Hoehn of
Mauston, Wis., who received $2,500 scholarships.
Lamers,
alongside the other recipients and their parents attended the Wisconsin
Athletic Hall of Fame 73rd Annual Induction Ceremony Saturday, April
1st, where they were recognized on stage during the ceremony by
Driver and Cousins Subs Vice President of Marketing, Justin McCoy.
“These
four individuals are beyond impressive,” said Driver. “We had a ton of great
applicants for our first Driven at Heart scholarship contest, but Ava, Colin,
Audrey and Dalton stood out amongst the crowd. It was an honor to be on stage
with these four bright minds and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the
next step of their life journeys.”
“We couldn’t have
asked for a better group to represent our first Driven at Heart scholarship
winners,” said McCoy.
“I have no doubt they will find success throughout their college years and
beyond – these four set the bar high for years to come.”
Cousins
Subs received nearly 300 applications from stellar high school senior athletes
through the Driven at Heart scholarship contest. The four scholarship
recipients were selected due to their academic achievements, community
contributions and success in WIAA sanctioned sports.
The
four scholarships are funded by the Make It Better
Foundation – the brand’s nonprofit
organization that addresses the vital community needs of health and wellness,
hunger and youth education. Formerly known as the Wisconsin Sports Awards
Scholarship Contest, the organization has awarded more than $200,000 in
scholarships to 44 high school students, including this year’s recipients.
For
more information about the Make It Better Foundation, please visit cousinssubs.com/foundation .