Two Oak Park and River Forest High School students have been awarded scholarships from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, while two others have been recognized as finalists by the organization.
Student Lev Working received the 2021 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for his excellence in writing with his submission of “Oak Park Doesn’t Kill Its Writers,” the organization announced.
In addition, students Edward Ruppar and Megan Chyna have been recognized as scholarship finalists.
Working, a high school junior, will receive a $1,000 college scholarship award and a mentorship with the Hemingway Foundation’s writer-in-residence during his senior year at OPRF.
Senior Beckett Green was also named a recipient of the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship, named for the former chairman of the Hemingway Foundation. This is the second year the memorial scholarship has been awarded, and Green will receive a $1,000 scholarship award in recognition for his work “Life is an Adventure.”
Each of the students’ essays will be included in the sixth annual edition of “Hemingway Shorts,” and the foundation hopes to recognize the students in-person at a future event.
In 2016, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, with the help of the OPRF High School English department and OPRF Scholarship Fund, re-introduced the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for junior-level students, with the intent of discovering and fostering writing talent at Hemingway’s alma mater.
The scholarships reflect the foundation’s belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing, officials said.
sschering@pioneerlocal.com
Twitter: @steveschering
