The awardees are Jaxson Houf of Van Buren High School, Carter Kruse of Springfield High School, Linzi McPartlin of Eureka High School, Madison Phelps of Cape Central High School, and Brea Johnson of Fort Zumwalt South High School.

“These students have already had academic and extracurricular success. Their hard work has set them apart and will help them find new success at Southeast,” said Southeast President Dr. Carlos Vargas. “We are excited to see what they will accomplish after they join us on campus.” 

The students participated in an interview process for the prestigious scholarship. The $10,000 award covers $7,000 in tuition and fees and $3,000 for residence hall fees for those living on campus their first year. Students who meet the scholarship renewal criteria may increase their award annually, bringing the total scholarship value to $43,000.

“Interviewing these students every year is an exciting process,” said Lenell Hahn, Southeast director of Admissions. “Every student we talk to is impressive in their own ways. Their leadership, involvement, service and academic successes make them the perfect candidates to join the Southeast community.”

The President’s Scholarship recipients will be freshmen at Southeast when the fall 2024 semester begins this August. The recipients are:

Jaxson Houf

Jaxson Houf is from Van Buren, Missouri, graduating from Van Buren High School this upcoming May. He is a member of the Beta Club and student council, a participant in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and A+ Scholarship program, and a member of the Van Buren cross country and track and field programs. As an athlete, he finished with numerous accolades, including two runner-up performances at the Class 1A State Cross Country Championships.

Houf plans on majoring in marketing/marketing management at Southeast. He plans on concurrently enrolling in the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) to pave the way to a military career.

Carter Kruse

Carter Kruse comes from Springfield, Illinois. In high school, he served as the Springfield High School Student Council vice president, a national honor society member, and an AP scholar with distinction. He participates in Future Presidents of America, band and jazz band, German National Honors Society, church youth group, baseball, and football. He also served as an installation technician for Complete Irrigation. 

Coming to Southeast, Kruse plans on pursuing Health Sciences, aiming for a pre-athletic training or pre-physical therapy route.

Linzi McPartlin  

Linzi McPartlin is from Pacific, Missouri, and attended Eureka High School. Her long list of school activities includes four years as editor-in-chief of the Eureka Yearbook, a member of Best Buddies, and a freshman orientation leader. She spent 15 years as a competitive dancer, using that to become a dance instructor for the last four years. She earned the Gold Standard Award and used her academic success to tutor during high school.

At Southeast, McPartlin hopes to major in accounting, focusing on construction management and creating opportunities for women in the field through entrepreneurship.

Madison Phelps  

Madison Phelps calls Cape Girardeau her hometown and is getting ready to graduate from Cape Central High School. She is captain of the volleyball team, soccer team, and a swimmer, earning Academic All-State honors in all three sports. She is a member of the Missouri Scholars Academy, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life, Feed My Starving Children volunteer, on the Student Senate, Beta Club, and National Honor Society. She also participated in the American Chemical Society U.S. Regional Chemistry Olympiad.

Starting college, she plans on majoring in biomedical sciences with a plan to pursue a career in dentistry. 

Brea Johnson

Brea Johnson is from St. Peters, Missouri, and attended Fort Zumwalt South High School. Performing is her passion, and she participated in four years of theatre performances and high school choir, including earning a rating of "Superior" at the Missouri State Thespian Conference in 2022 and 2023. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Fort Zumwalt South High School Diversity Group, and participated in the Arch City Theatre Troupe and Community Theatre. Johnson is also active in Empowering Young Women.

Her plans are to continue performing, majoring in musical theatre when she attends Southeast.