Valley County Community Foundation Announces Markle Scholarship Winners

The Valley County Community Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s Markle Scholarship winners for those pursuing advanced degrees.

Kathleen Brandt is a 2016 Glasgow High School graduate pursuing a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Rocky Mountain College in Billings. Not only is Brandt a full-time student, but she also works part-time to help support her schooling and volunteers at women’s shelters in Montana. After obtaining her Doctorate, she plans to work with women’s shelters and at-risk youth in Montana, who are often mis served and overlooked when obtaining long term care for abuse and trauma.

Trevor Toavs is also a 2016 Glasgow High School graduate who is currently enrolled at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in pursuit of a Doctorate of Medicine and Master of Science. Toavs continues to be an academic tutor while in medical school and volunteers with the Rhode Island Medical Navigator Partnership Program. He was also a co-author of a health book chapter studying the health effects of egg consumption that was published earlier this year. His long-term goals are to return to rural Montana to practice medicine and care for his community.

The Thomas and Cynthia Markle Scholarship was established in 2018 with the goal of assisting in the financial burden of obtaining an advanced degree for Valley County community members. The Markle’s recognized a gap in scholarship availability for advanced degrees in our community and established an endowment to assist in carrying that financial burden for future generations. The scholarship is based on need to Valley County graduates or Valley County residents who have resided in the county for the past five years. This is the second year of the Markle Scholarship being awarded with over $15,000 being even to students pursuing further education.

Applications for the Markle Scholarship for Advanced Degrees is due annually on Sept. 30. The Valley County Community Foundation manages the Markle Scholarship, as well as others, and more information is located on our website at valleycountyfc.net.