ACSM Bulletin | August 2007| #228
Brand-new Trig-Star award
High school seniors who took part in the Trig Star contest at any time in high school are eligible to apply for the Trig Star Scholarship. With this expanded program award, the Trig Star Committee hopes to identify and reward high school students who may not be the contest winners, but, more importantly, are stimulated by the contest to pursue a career in surveying and mapping.
The Trig Star contest, now over twenty years old, has done a great job identifying the best and brightest in our high schools at solving complex trigonometry problems—problems surveyors encounter every day on the job. However, most Trig Star contest winners do not contemplate a career in surveying and mapping, using instead their math skills for other pursuits. The Trig Star Scholarship Award is a way to assist those contest participants who plan to pursue a career in surveying and mapping. High school students who participate in the Trig Star contest are encouraged to consider a career in surveying and mapping; the new Trig Star Scholarship Award is intended to serve as direct encouragement.
All who participate in the local Trig Star contest are eligible to apply for the award. The award is funded from a dedicated Trig Star Scholarship Fund, managed by the NSPS Foundation. The fund has grown since its inception, thanks to generous donations from NSPS members Larry Doss, John Fenn, and many others. The NSPS Board of Governors and Board of Directors also contribute to the fund annually at their fall meetings. The 2007 Trig Star Scholarship Award is the first award from the fund.
First Trig-Star Scholarship recipient
Kendra Rose Levanen (see p. 11) became the first Trig Star Scholarship Award recipient as a result of the recommendations, essay, and high school transcripts she submitted in response to the scholarship application. She is an example of a student who can be attracted to our profession through the Trig Star contest. Her current math teacher, Janet Espeseth, said that at Flathead High School, Kendra “placed 7th in the Trig Star exam, which is an impressive standing considering the company she was keeping.”
But, more important to the Trig Star Committee and our profession was Kendra’s desire to pursue a career in Land Surveying. Kendra will begin her chosen career path this fall as a freshman at Flathead Valley Community College. She is one of ten children, so her Trig Star Scholarship award will no doubt be a big help. In addition to this first year assistance (the Trig Star Scholarship provides $5,000 for the first year only), Randy Thomas, long -time Montana State Trig Star Contest Coordinator, will help Kendra work toward qualifying for further second-year scholarship opportunities managed by the Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors (MARLS).
Think of Trig Star as one of the tools in the toolbox of promotions available to surveyors interested in recruiting future surveyors from the next generation. The new Trig Star Scholarship Award provides assistance to those who chose the profession. Local sponsors are currently the way the program is delivered to the local high school. Please consider sponsoring Trig Star at the local level. Donations to the scholarship fund will also help ensure that the Trig Star Scholarship is awarded long into the future. More information about Trig Star is available on the NSPS web site at: http://www.nspsmo.org/trig_star/index.shtml.
Kendra participated in the 2006-2007 Montana Trig-Star program, taking the Trig-Star test at Flathead High School in Kalispell, MT. The test was sponsored on the local level by the Northwest Chapter of the Montana Association of Registered Land Surveyors (MARLS), and proctored by member Marc Burkhart.
Tying for seventh place out of 44 participating students at Flathead High School is very respectable. Finishing tied for the eighteenth position out of 168 students from the four participating High Schools in the Northwest Chapter is even more impressive.
First introduced to land surveying as a junior participating in a survey unit at the Kalispell VO-AG center, Kendra realized her career calling. She wanted a physical career, a job that would often be outdoors, and land surveying looked like the perfect answer to both these stipulations.
Coming from a large family—three brothers and six sisters—Kendra is no stranger to hard work. She started her first job at Farm-to-Market Pork, an agricultural processing business, as a high school freshman. Since graduation, Kendra has been offered a full-time position at Farm-to-Market Pork which, along with the Trig Star scholarship, will help to fund her college education.
Among Kendra’s many accomplishments, superior work ethics stand out. The trait of giving her work all she could was instilled in her through her involvement in 4-H and FFA—6 and 4 years, respectively. Still involved in FFA, Kendra will be traveling to Indianapolis this October to compete in the National Meats Judging competition.
Kendra’s application to work and study were further demonstrated this past winter when she was absent from school for a full week to accompany her family on a “Make-A-Wish” trip for her physically disabled youngest sister.
During her absence, one of the toughest topics was covered in her pre-calculus class. “Very few students I have known after 22 years of teaching would have been able to do as well as she did in making up her work. She came in after school for help, but first did her part by reading the material and getting notes from other students before asking for my assistance. Her work ethic is amazing.” says Kendra’s pre-calculus teacher Janet Espeseth.
Kendra is enrolled in Flathead Valley Community College’s survey program, where she expects to earn an associates degree. Upon graduation, Kendra intends to pursue a career in surveying and become a licensed professional land surveyor. Judging from her early credentials, I would say Kendra Rose Levanen will be an outstanding addition to our profession, Land Surveying.