Eligibility

The Nik Hanig Memorial Scholarship is a non-renewable scholarship offered to graduating High School Seniors in the Bixby/Tulsa metro area (30 miles) who will be entering college in the fall semester, following their High School graduation.

The applicant’s parent or grandparent must be an active member, in good standing, of the Rotary Club of Bixby.

Amount

The recipient will receive $2,000 (divided $1,000 per semester). The award must be applied to tuition, books, and fees.

Criteria

1. Preference given to students who plan to attend a two-year community/junior college or a technical school.

2. No particular emphasis will be given to Grade Point Average, ACT/SAT scores, or Class Rank.

3. Has demonstrated good character by participation in school activities (sports, band, cheer, leadership, clubs, etc.) and/or community activities (fundraisers, scouts, theatre, etc) and/or community service (church work, hospital, volunteer, etc.)

4. Indicate financial need; probably not going to receive another scholarship based upon sports, grades and/or ACT. Indicate the number of siblings at home & parent’s financial ability to contribute to your college education.

5. Provide two letters of recommendation from someone who can describe your demonstrated character.

6. Write a short essay on why winning this scholarship is important to you.

7. Provide an official High School Transcript.

8. Extra consideration given to students who demonstrate Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self” in their activities and day-to-day life.

9. Applicant anticipates to be accepted and enrolled full-time in an accredited school this fall.

Compliance

1. Maintain full-time enrollment status.

2. Maintain high moral standards.

3. Provide proof of registration for fall and spring semesters and provide copies of receipts for tuition, books, and fees to receive the scholarship money.

4. If you qualify for the TCC Achieves or the OHLAP, the Rotary award can be deferred and held in your name for up to three years. If unused after that time, the balance of awarded funds will be forfeited.

Background of the Scholarship

Nik Hanig was one of four children of Harry and Carolyn Hanig who attended Broken Arrow schools. Nik was an average student but excelled in extra curricular activities – wrestling, football, weight lifting, and fishing. Nik’s sense of humor and true-to-self style attracted many friends. He and another student were killed in a car accident returning from fishing at Grand Lake. He was 17.

Through the effort of his mother and numerous supporters, the Buckle Up For Nik campaign began. Nik was a back seat passenger and not wearing a seat belt, which was not a primary law in Oklahoma at the time. Carolyn spoke to the Oklahoma Governor and met with both the Oklahoma Senate and House. The primary seat belt law was passed that same year.

The Buckle Up For Nik campaign grew state by state by Carolyn traveling the nation to speak to both schools and companies about highway traffic safety. Seat belt laws were being written and passed nationwide.Carolyn and the family made national appearances on NBC Nightly News and the Today Show (twice), plus features in Newsweek, Family Circle, and other publications. Carolyn spoke at countless high schools sharing Nik’s story and encouraged students to wear seat belts for safety reasons, even if it was not the law in their state.

One person does make a difference!

Harry Hanig is a member of the Bixby Rotary Club.