Kaileigh Duckwall – 2010
Since graduating High School I've been attending Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and have been having a blast! I've made a ton of new friends and have had so many fun experiences that I will remember forever! I've finally made a decision about what I'm going to study and I've decided that Psychology Pre-Law is the degree for me! I'm really excited about the classes I'll get to take and the future experiences that are yet to come!  Thanks again to all of those involved with the Bowen Scholarship! I'm so grateful that I get to be a part of such a wonderful new tradition! It has been such a help this semester and I'll be forever thankful!

** Excerpt from Kaileigh’s Scholarship Essay** It is not always easy to stand up for what we believe in, but doing so makes us a stronger individual.  My family has given up many of its members for a period of time to the armed forces, each fighting to preserve our freedoms to exercise the beliefs that we as American’s hold so dear.  This country has certainly sacrificed more than its fair share of special young men and women, like SFC Collin Bowen, and has likely not seen its last.  My hope is that my life, now as well as after my education, will make a difference in the lives of others, whether that be in the classroom, in an office, or down whatever path it may take me.

Cody Reaves – 2010
After graduating from Oak Hill High School in Converse, IN, I chose to attend IUPUI in downtown Indianapolis, IN. I signed in late May to play soccer for IUPUI, and just finished up my freshman season. I am currently majoring in Psychology on a Pre-Law track. I hope to one day attend IU Law School and become either a lawyer or sports agent. I have been able to meet many great people and experience many interesting things in my time here thus far at IUPUI.  I have also been involved in many things outside of the playing field. I am a part of the SAAC, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, for IUPUI. We meet and discuss changes that need to take place, on and off the field, to improve the lives of our student athletes. I also recently finished 2nd place in the 79th semiannual IUPUI Speech Night Competition. I am also involved in the Jags Reading Club, a program in which student athletes attend an Indianapolis Public School and read to young students.

I want to thank all of those involved in the SFC Collin J. Bowen Scholarship. It was truly a blessing to be chosen for this scholarship, honoring a great man who fought for our freedom. This scholarship means a great deal to not only me, but my family as well. My grandfather, Larry Jo Goss, died in the Vietnam War, and I have always been grateful for the sacrifice he made. Collin made this same sacrifice, and he cannot be recognized enough for doing so. There is no greater sacrifice.

Thank you once again for awarding me this great scholarship. It is an honor to receive an award named after such a courageous and selfless man. I will continue to work as hard as I can both on and off the field, to honor all of our fallen veterans.

Thank you for your continued support and God Bless.

Madeleine Kuczora – 2009
My first year at Notre Dame was an eye-opening experience for me. Last summer, I did a Summer Service Learning Program at Holy Family Shelter in Indianapolis, Indiana by living and working on-site for eight weeks. At the Shelter, a thirty-day emergency shelter for families, I organized and supervised activities for the residents' kids, and helped with administrative and miscellaneous jobs around the Shelter. 

I am currently a Business student at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, which was ranked as the #1 Undergraduate Business School by Bloomberg BusinessWeek. I intend to major in either Marketing or Management. I just applied to ND's study abroad program for next year in either Toledo, Spain or Fremantle, Australia. I currently maintain ~3.4 GPA and participate in dorm soccer. I work on-call at the front desk of the Center for Social Concerns, which is the program that organized my service project last summer.

Last year I was awarded the Margaret "Meghan" M. Beeler Memorial Scholarship in honor of an upstanding, Notre Dame swimmer who passed away in a tragic bus accident in 1992. With Collin and Meghan in mind, I feel so blessed to be a part of individuals who truly and selflessly made a difference in the world. I am thankful for soldiers like Collin, who lived his life not for himself, but for others. He is truly a model of inspiration; he is an individual who everyone can look to and strive to be more like.

Molly Kuczora – 2009
I have just completed the first semester of my sophomore year here at Notre Dame. I am now a psychology and pre-med major in the University’s Arts and Letters Pre-Professional Program. I was on Notre Dame’s Dean’s List spring semester of my freshman year and this past semester, and currently have a 3.733 GPA. This past spring I was also a recipient of our Community Foundation’s Board Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic school year. This semester, I am currently involved in my dorm’s Hall Council, serving as the Apparel Commissioner. I also am a part of Notre Dame’s Student Government, serving as a member on both the Center for Social Concerns and Community Relations Committees. Within South Bend’s community, I volunteer every Saturday morning at Memorial Hospital in the PICU and pediatrics unit, working with the child specialist and interacting with the patients and their families. I have also tutored and worked with children in the after school and Shakespeare programs at the Robinson Community Learning Center just off-campus. Last summer, I worked as a camp counselor in east inner city Indianapolis through the Center for Social Concern’s Summer Service Learning Program. I also worked at Cornerstone Behavioral and Health Center last summer, mostly doing clerical work.

I have truly enjoyed my time here at Notre Dame and have made great friendships. I am grateful for the opportunity to go to a Catholic institution that integrates faith, knowledge and service to others. In this way, I feel that I have found the perfect fit for me here. I have a strong passion for service, and I especially enjoy working with children. In the future, I hope to attend medical school and perhaps pursue a career in pediatrics.
It has been a pleasure to represent the Bowen Scholarship, and all that it stands for. Collin’s service to his country is an inspiration to each of us, and I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in commemorating his life and sacrifice for us all.

Katie Alter – 2008
I am currently a junior here at IU and am applying for graduate school this summer. I am very eager to apply for the Microbiology Master's Program in Florida to continue on to receive my Master's Degree. I am also working under one of IU's top researchers in the Microbiology field, to gain some hands on experience before continuing on with my Graduate research. It has been a crazy, intense, difficult, time consuming year thus far, but I would not change a single thing. While not surrounded in a lab by bacteria and microscopes, I love to explore the city of Bloomington with my friends. It is our hope to try as many of the diverse opportunities Bloomington has to offer as possible. Thank you especially to the Bowen family for honoring me, the past recipients, and the current recipients with this scholarship in honor of Collin. My brother joined the Air Force this past year and will be deployed overseas in the coming months. I know how much Collin meant to his family and the community, and as a sister of a military man, I understand now more than ever his amazing sacrifice.

Mallory Kramer – 2010
I have been having a wonderful time at Bellarmine University and I love it there so much. Louisville is an amazing city and a brand new experience. Bellarmine has been teaching me many things about my faith, myself, and life in general. I am majoring in Visual Communications and ended my first semester with a 3.63 GPA. In high school I was very involved and I knew I would get the same life at Bellarmine. I am currently on the swim club team and practicing for meets for second semester. I am involved with the Relay for Life club at Bellarmine and I made a video for the club that has been shown to the various scholars programs around the school. I now am in training for an internship with the school to make videos that will be shown to potential students. I am involved in the campus church and regularly lector during mass. I am active in the school pep club, Knights Nation, and love attending the sports games on the weekends. I love Bellarmine University so much and I am very grateful for receiving the Collin Bowen Scholarship. I would not be able to attend Bellarmine without the help, not only financially, but also with the constant reminder of who the scholarship is in memory of. When times get hard and I feel like I cannot take the pressure anymore I can always turn to what Collin Bowen stood for: passion, perseverance, courage, strength, and most of all hard work.

Taylor Fleming – 2010
I am entering the second semester of my freshman year at Eastern Nazarene College, where I am a double major in Psychology and Criminal Justice with a Pre-Law minor. On campus, I am currently involved with the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team, Women’s Varsity Softball Team, and am the treasurer of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. I have been able to go into Boston on Saturdays and take part in a program called “Open Hand Open Heart” which passes out sandwiches and drinks to the homeless and less fortunate in the city of Boston. I serve with children’s’ ministries at the church on campus, and have been appointed floor chaplain on the floor in my dormitory. I also work a job in the admissions department of my school.

I would like to the family of SFC Bowen, and the donors and committee of the Bowen Scholarship Foundation. You hard work has given so much to our community and the seniors within it who have put forth a tremendous effort to have the same qualities Collin Bowen demonstrated in his life. Thank you!

Chris Reaves – 2009
I am still attending Grace College in Winona Lake, IN.  I enjoyed my first season of baseball here.  I was fortunate enough to get to play first base for the Lancers in several games as we had the most successful season in our school's history.  This year we have brought in many talented players both with the bat and on the mound and feel we are primed and ready for a successful season.  I am excited to be a part of establishing a winning program here at Grace.  As you can imagine this area is not exactly full of exciting things to do, but I do not mind as it gives me a reason to go home and spend time with my family and friends. I am currently studying hard for my final exams.  I have made many great friends in my short time here and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for the rest of this semester and my remaining time here at Grace.

** Excerpt from Chris’s Scholarship Application Essay** “Freedom means to me that a price has been paid. I know this all too well because I have never met my grandfather. He was a Navy Corpsman who was killed in action while serving with the Marines in Vietnam on February 14, 1968. Like Collin, he paid the ultimate price. One of the many things my parents have taught me is that these men were fighting for people’s freedom. Upon a recent visit to Washington D.C., my parents took a picture at one of the monuments that said exactly what I know to be true, “Freedom Isn’t Free.” Collin, my grandfather, and thousands of other men like them have answered the call throughout our time as a nation. The call has been and always will be to defend freedom at all cost. Because of these sacrifices for freedom all of us that live are allowed to do so."

Alexandra Lester – 2009
I just completed Fall Quarter of my sophomore year at UCLA. My major is still Economics, and I am looking to minor in Global Studies.  I am currently looking at Study Abroad programs for next Fall, and plan to be in Spain for the first semester! I am thrilled. I am also looking into possible internships and jobs in Los Angeles or San Francisco this summer-- we will see what works out!  School is still very much so challenging and requires a lot of extra study hours, but I love UCLA and all it has to offer. I am very involved in my sorority Kappa Alpha Theta and continue to do various philanthropic events through it.  I am very thankful for all the love and support I receive from home, especially the Bowen Scholarship Foundation!  Thank you all for everything!

Tamara Barrett – 2009
A lot has happened since my last update! I transferred to Taylor University in the fall of 2010 and could not be happier. I am a psychology pre-med major and am currently enrolled in an MCAT prep class. I had a very busy first semester with 18 hours but still made the Dean's list. This is probably because I really enjoyed almost every class I took.  In September I ran my first half marathon in Fort Wayne. That was a very fun time and I look forward to doing more in the future. In November, I attended the Global Health Missions Conference in Louisville with the Pre-Health Club at Taylor. This was a great experience that opened my eyes to all of the places and ways I can be useful with my intended career. I am involved with Social Justice Week Cabinet of Global Outreach and the Chapel Planning Cabinet of Acting on AIDS. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to work with a small group to plan the World AIDS Day chapel. Through the honors program, I took a trip to Jordan and Israel for a New Testament class during the first weeks of January 2011. This experience was emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually life changing to say the least. I am so grateful for these opportunities I have had through attending college and receiving scholarships and I would like to extend my thanks again.

Ryan Jumper – 2008
I am now a junior at IU Bloomington, where I am studying Accounting at the Kelley School of Business.  I'm currently involved in many organizations on campus including Campus Crusade for Christ and the Hutton Honors Student Association.  I also work here at IU for RecSports; I am a supervisor and head official for intramural/club sports.  As well as working for the intramural program here, I enjoy participating in many of the various intramural sports offered here, including flag football where my Co-Ed team won the championship this past fall!  I love my time here at IU, and I am truly grateful that the Bowen family has been so supportive and interested in my endeavors.  Finally, I would like to thank the Bowen family and donors to the Bowen Scholarship for their contributions and hard work to give back to local high school seniors who exemplify the tremendous qualities that Collin Bowen demonstrated throughout his lifetime.  It was an honor for me to be one of the first students to receive this award, along with Katie and Kelsey, in Collin's memory.  Thank you and God Bless.

Kelsey Kirkpatrick – 2008
I am from Van Buren, IN and attended Eastbrook High School. I’m now living in Muncie, IN and attended Ivy Tech Community College for one semester.  I plan to receive my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I am working full-time as a CNA at a local nursing home. After taking a little time off, I re-enrolled and I am registered for my classes for next semester.  I greatly appreciate the recognition and honor you have brought by remembering my cousin, David Kirkpatrick, over the past couple years. It means so much to our entire family. Again, Thank You for the ultimate sacrifice your brother has made. They will never be forgotten. 

**Kelsey’s cousin, PFC David A. Kirkpatrick, was killed in action in Iraq on 4/27/07.  She has had several members of her family serve in the military and her brother and two cousins currently serve in the military.