The 2023 Hope Manning Scholarship has been awarded to four Cumberland County graduating seniors, representing each of the Cumberland County high schools. Student applying for the scholarships submitted an application and an essay about the obstacles they have overcome and their plans for the future. The House of Hope Board of Directors selected the students considering their “gumption to stick it out.” Tucker Clark from Phoenix High School, Ryleigh Cook from Stone Memorial High School and David Kappel and Emily Nixon from Cumberland County High School will each receive $1,000 when they complete college enrollment. After successfully finishing their first year of higher education, students may be eligible for an additional one year scholarship.
Cook Is the daughter of Teresa Cook. She plans to complete her B.S. degree in Nursing at Tennessee Tech University, become Registered Nurse, and specialize in caring for newborns requiring intensive care.
Nixon is the daughter of Christine Nixon. She plans to complete a B.S. degree in Journalism and Media Studies at Brooklyn College in New York. She plans to pursue journalism as a career.
Clark plans to complete the Welding Technology AWS program at Tn College of Applied Technology, become certified and pursue a career in welding with special interest in pipe welding and plans to explore certification in the specialized field of underwater welding.
Kappel is the son of Denise Pellegrino-Kappel. He plans to attend Western Kentucky University to obtain a B.F.A. in Musical Theater. In addition to performing onstage, he hopes to also pursue his interest in the technical area of stage lighting.
The Hope Manning scholarship was created in memory of a little girl who, at the age of five, was a victim of child abuse. The scholarship program began in 2006 with sponsorship of the Crossville Carving Club and the House of Hope. The carvers were inspired after hearing from then-Sheriff Butch Burgess about the naming of the House of Hope and the services that House of hope provides for drug endangered, abused, and at-risk children. They hand carved 100 one-of-a-kind Christmas ornaments that were sold to raise funds for the first scholarships.
For more information about the House of Hope and its programs, visit the website at www.houseofhopetn.org or facebook at www.facebook.com/houseofhopetn/.
