Three WHS seniors awarded Sasayama/Alaska Pulp Corporation scholarship

Three senior students at Wrangell High School were informed Monday that they were chosen as recipients of the 2019 Sasayama/Alaska Pulp Corporation scholarship. The scholarship was first put together in 1992, according to Franklin Roppel. The Alaska Pulp Corporation began operations in Wrangell around 1954, he said, and was a major employer in Wrangell, Sitka, and the Southeast Alaska area for many years. Every year since 1992, Roppel said, three students from Wrangell and three students from Sitka are awarded the scholarship, to help pay for their post-secondary education.

"So far, about $2.1 million has been given out in scholarships," Roppel said, formerly of the Alaska Pulp Corporation. "Each year, we do three $20,000 in Wrangell and in Sitka."

Since the Alaska Pulp Corporation went out of business around 1993, the scholarship has been administered by the Alaska Community Foundation. Roppel said the scholarship was named after the corporation's founder, Tadao Sasayama. The idea for the scholarship was made by the then president of the company, George Ishiyama. They knew the company was going out of business, Roppel said, so the scholarship was planned to honor Sasayama's memory and preserve the corporation's name. Ishiyama encouraged private donations from both locals and from businesses in Japan to fund the scholarship, and it has been offered to Wrangell and Sitka students annually ever since.

The students awarded this year's scholarships are Kellan Eagle, Helen Decker, and Jean-Luc Lewis. The news, when they were told last Monday, came as a surprise to them. Roppel said that the committee who chooses each year's students are locals, to help better determine who deserves the scholarship. He added that they look at a number of factors in deciding who to give the scholarship to. This includes things like academic achievements, financial need, grades, and other things.

"All three are outstanding students, and they have need, and it's very difficult to make a selection but all three are very, very good students," he said.

All three students will be graduating from Wrangell High School this May. Eagle said he is planning to attend Montana State University. Decker said she plans to go to the University of California San Diego. Lewis said that he has not committed to a school yet, but he is looking at Stanford, Duke University, and Brown University. All three students will receive $20,000 in scholarship money, or $5,000 over a four-year period, which will go towards helping pay their tuition. Roppel added that the scholarship is not just for students wanting to pursue a bachelor's degree, but is open to those considering vocational schools, as well. All three seniors will be formally presented with their scholarships on May 13.