UW Colleges News
Two recipients were chosen to receive Extreme Education Makeovers at UW-Rock County. Pictured here are Lite 107.3 WSJY morning host Jennifer Maxwell, winner Ella Howell of Beloit, winner Patti Soyck of Footville, and UW-Rock County Dean Diane Pillard.
Extreme Education Makeover Contest Winners Announced
Janesville – When Ella Howell of Beloit and Patricia Soyck of Footville start their freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Rock County in September, they'll be taking the first step in what they hope will be a life makeover.
Howell and Soyck are the winners of the Extreme Education Makeover contest sponsored by WSJY Lite 107.3, UW-Rock County, UW-Rock County Foundation and the Janesville Mall.
The contest spanned the month of June and more than 20 people from throughout southern Wisconsin submitted essays detailing how their life needs a makeover and how free tuition for a semester at UW-Rock County and a back-to-school gift package could give them that chance.
The competition was open to students age 22 or older who had not taken a class at UW-Rock County in the last two years. Choosing one winner for the competition proved difficult, according to selection committee members.
"When we started this contest, I knew that it had such potential to truly make a difference in someone's life and I jumped at the chance to be a part of this," says WSJY morning show host Jennifer Maxwell, who credits a mentor for her own life makeover of sorts that led to her broadcasting career. "As soon as we started getting entries, I realized just how difficult it would be to select a winner — everyone in the competition had a compelling story."
Four finalists in the competition came to campus for personal interviews with Maxwell, UW-Rock County dean and campus executive officer Diane Pillard, and UW-Foundation board president Scott Bordwell on July 17.
That group was pared down to Soyck and Howell, who found out in an on-the-air interview July 23 that both would be winners of an education makeover.
"It is such a pleasure to be able to offer assistance to two women who are so committed to making positive changes in their lives and to helping others," says Pillard of the decision to award two scholarships instead of one as originally planned. "Through the generosity of donors to the UW-Rock County Foundation, we were able to offer these two awards in addition to the more than 30 scholarships offered each year to other deserving students."
Soyck is a 43-year-old mother of three who is a two-time cancer survivor. Diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma in high school, she went through 18 months of radiation and chemotherapy. In 1999 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. These experiences, in addition to the death of her father from colon cancer in 2001, encouraged her to go into health care. She's currently working in hospice care as a certified nursing assistant and would like to go back to school to become a social worker.
"I feel I could better myself and the lives of people who are going through these terrible diseases who need the comfort that they most deserve," wrote Soyck in her essay. She's pushed her kids to get a good education and her oldest daughter is enrolled at UW-Rock County for the fall semester. Now mother and daughter will attend college together.
Howell is a 27-year-old mother trying to raise four children on a minimum wage job. "When I was growing I didn't have the best advice about life and what was ahead for me," says Howell. She recently received her high school equivalency diploma and says she now wants a four-year bachelor's degree so she can become a school counselor. In reaching this goal, she says she'll not only better herself, but help others and also be a role model to her children.
Like many returning adult students, Soyck is employed and will attend college part-time starting this fall. The UW-Rock County Foundation will cover the cost of her tuition, while Howell, who is going to be a full-time student, will receive $1,000 through the foundation's Partnership for Parents fund to supplement other financial aid she pursued outside of the contest.
In addition to financial assistance for school, the contest winners will receive a $100 UW-Rock County Bookstore gift certificate, a $20 gift card for the Campus Café, a $200 gift certificate to the Janesville Mall and a prize bag from WSJY that includes a Wisconsin Dells vacation and a dining gift certificate among other items.