Scholarship fund honoring first female Bellevue mayor doubles awardees

Published 1:00 pm Friday, June 24, 2016

Inspired by the strong response and impressive applications, the founders of the Nan Campbell Leadership Scholarship more than doubled the number of awards given this year.

“This is our way of giving back to the high school,” Wakefield said, adding that she and her husband Jay have endowed the scholarship fund to pay for four scholarships per year, but decided to do more this year. “We had 17 applicants and we decided just to do more on an as-needed basis.”

Nine Sammamish High School seniors were awarded scholarships of $1,000 for the 2016-2017 school year: Tochi Egbejimba, Madeline Gangle, Jennifer Banessa Gomez, Connor Krill, Madeline McPherson, Clement Mooc, Emma Rasmussen, Emma Tim and Leah Topp.

The scholarship — founded by Suzy Mygatt Wakefield — is generally awarded each year to four Sammamish High School students who the foundation feels embody the leadership spirit of Bellevue’s first female mayor Nan Campbell.

Campbell’s thoughtfulness and concern for others led to a long and broad contribution to human services and community activism, the foundation said. Following her death in 2013, Campbell’s longtime friend, Wakefield, established the scholarship fund to help Sammamish High School graduates advance their education, and to inform Bellevue young people about the difference one person can make while keeping Nan’s memory alive.

“She was a great role model, very nice and friendly, and outgoing,” said Wakefield, who lived next door to Campbell when Wakefield herself was a high school student in the first graduating class at Sammamish High School.