Today (March 27, 2024), the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg surprised Hempfield Area Senior High School senior Kylee Grew with a full-tuition scholarship valued at more than $54,000 over four years. Grew, who plans to major in Early Childhood Education at Pitt-Greensburg, was one of 41 applicants and six finalists receiving consideration for the award.
“We recognize that an investment in education gives the best returns,” said Michael Husenits, the director of Admissions at Pitt-Greensburg. “This program allows us to attract the best and brightest, like Kylee, to Pitt-Greensburg and is making a world-renowned Pitt degree more affordable.”
Now in its seventh year, Pitt-Greensburg’s full-tuition scholarship award offers up to three full-tuition scholarships to qualified first-year students. The award covers the cost of in-state tuition at Pitt-Greensburg for up to four years, if the student meets the renewal criteria of maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA each academic year.
Grew, who is from Irwin, PA, maintains a nearly perfect grade point average that includes a strong mix of advanced placement courses (US government and politics, biology, language and composition, French V, economics, literature and composition) and honors courses (pre-calculus, French II, III, IV, chemistry, English 10, world history, geometry, algebra II, biology, American history, English 9, and Algebra I). She also participated in the Hempfield Enrichment Program in math (two years) and English (two years).
An Honor Roll student during her four years of high school, Grew also received a College Board AP Scholar Award and the National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Alpha Omega Honor Society, and French National Honor Society where she served as vice president. Her extracurricular activities round out her high school academic experience. A member of the Hempfield Area Senior High School's inaugural Girls Golf Team, Grew played for three years. As a senior, she served as team captain and played in the WPIAL Individual Golf Qualifiers.
“Kylee shows that engagement yields success socially, cognitively, and overall developmentally. Her successful balance of academics and extra-curriculars [sic] once again provides an exemplary opportunity to showcase what the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg is all about. Kylie will also be the student that lifts up those around her,” wrote one of her teachers in a letter of reference for the award.
Grew’s community service includes serving with church-sponsored projects, and participating in the Hempfield Area Mini-Thon, Read Across America, and Light Up the Park (Hempfield Park). She also logged 45 hours as a peer mentor during her junior year and one hour a week as a peer tutor during her senior year.
Scheduled among her academic work and her extra-curricular activities, is a 25- to 40-hour work week where Grew serves as the shift lead at the Tropical Smoothie Café (North Huntingdon location). Her experience there includes training employees, supervising other staff members, resolving customer complaints, ensuring the quality of food and smoothies, and opening and closing the establishment.
“Kylee is focused, affable, passionate, intelligent, compassionate, resourceful, and reliable,” wrote another reference. “Kylee takes pride in her work and is an eager participant. [Her] performance is exceptional due to her out-of-class preparedness and constant in-class effort. . . . Kylee works hard and follows through because it is the right thing to do. It is who she is, and she does it with a fabulous, welcoming smile and spirit that encourages others to do the same. . . . Others rise because Kylee brings them with her while achieving what she sets out to do with high standards.”