Jon Carl Hill Scholarship established at ESU
Special to the Gazette
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Vanessa Hill of Topeka has established the Jon Carl Hill Scholarship at Emporia State University, designed for students involved in the Associated Student Government. The scholarship is in memory of her late husband’s and his association with student government and news publications.
Carl Hill was an Emporia native who was active in the Associated Student Government and the school newspaper, the Bulletin, during his time at ESU. That background led him into various roles in newspaper publishing in the region, and he always retained a strong interest in politics.
Vanessa Hill is a 1981 graduate of ESU.
“I loved Emporia State from the first time I walked on campus,” she said. “It was just a wonderful experience.”
Now an elementary school teacher with a history of work with the Topeka City Council, she said her husband encouraged her interest in government. She said she hopes to instill that passion in ESU students through her scholarship gift.
“My husband was really passionate about government,” she said. “I wanted to encourage [students] to go on in politics.”
Hill said that she understands the financial difficulties in education and hopes that her scholarship will help students achieve their educational goals.
“I know that every little bit will help. ... So many students start, and they might get in there for a year or so and say, ‘I can’t do this,’” she said. She hopes to encourage “that one student” who might otherwise have given up on his or her career because of financial difficulty in school.