The Lewis & Melba Krehmeyer Scholarship in Speech and Language Pathology
Overview
The Lewis and Melba Krehmeyer Scholarship in Speech and Language Pathology will be awarded to one new graduate student each year who demonstrates exceptional promise as a future pediatric speech-language pathologist. The scholarship includes fully-paid tuition for the first two semesters, and a stipend to cover the third semester. This scholarship is not renewable.
History
Lewis and Melba Krehmeyer endowed a legacy gift with a belief in the impact of speech language therapy in a child’s life. Lewis, a Scottish Rite Mason in St. Louis, and his wife Melba, exemplified service and commitment to help others. Lewis and Melba were both integral in the development of the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic in its formative years. This Scholarship, given in their name, creates a prestigious scholarship for a service-minded student to pursue a speech language pathology graduate degree to treat young children.
Criteria
Students wishing to apply will need to submit two letters of recommendation written by individuals who know the student well, and who are able to evaluate the student’s potential for success in an academically and clinically rigorous graduate speech-language pathology program. One letter must be submitted from an undergraduate faculty member, who knows the student for a minimum of two years.
Students will need to submit a personal statement of three pages or less outlining their reasons for wanting to become a pediatric speech- language pathologist, their commitment to the field and any experiences they may have had in the realm of speech-language pathology. A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.25 will be required. Preferred criteria will include a grade point average of 3.5; however emphasis will be placed on the personal statement and letters of recommendation when awarding the scholarship.
Students’ Commitment
Students who are awarded the Lewis and Melba Krehmeyer Scholarship will provide ten hours of service as a graduate assistant at the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic at Maryville University. The intent is that this service will provide the student with clinical and research experiences beyond the academic and clinical experience he or she will already be receiving via the program. Recipients of the award will attend the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic Foundation Board meeting to meet the board that has granted the scholarship.
Impact of the Scholarship
The Lewis and Melba Krehmeyer Scholarship is a unique offering in the field of speech-language pathology. Typical grant and scholarship awards in the field do not completely cover the costs of tuition. By providing a tuition waiver, the Lewis and Melba Krehmeyer Scholarship will allow the selected student to focus completely on his or her professional development in the field via academic, clinical and graduate assistant endeavors.