Gates Foundation Ross County Scholarships Awarded for 2025

Article Presented By Kingston National Bank…

(Ross County) – The Gates Foundation-Ross County Scholar’s Fund has announced the 2025 class of recipients, with scholarships being awarded to 20 continuing and incoming area students.

Larry Gates and his wife, Mary, established the fund to relieve much of the financial stress involved with attending college, thus helping talented, hard-working Ross County students pursue their ambitions. This marks the 22nd class of scholars, and since the scholarship fund’s inception in 2004, approximately 300 scholarships have been presented.

In all, 13 of this year’s recipients have selected Ohio University Athens or Ohio University Chillicothe as their college homes.

Mary and Larry Gates have lived throughout the world but never forgot their roots, returning to their hometown of Chillicothe upon retirement. The scholarship fund continues their commitment to residents of the region by making higher education, and the opportunities a college education offers, available to area individuals.

“This region has been instrumental in providing us with the background to have many memorable experiences, and we wanted to ‘pay it forward’ by helping current Ross County students have that same opportunity. Little is as valuable as a college education in making a lifelong impact on a person’s future pursuits,” Mary and Larry Gates said.

Following is a list of the 2025 class of The Gates Foundation-Ross County Scholar’s Fund recipients:

SENIORS
Jenna Martin- Colorado State University
Donovan Palmer- Ohio State University
Gabriel Stark- Ohio University Athens
Hannah Thompson- Ohio University Chillicothe

JUNIORS
Olivia Beatty- Ohio University Athens
Isabella Fisher- Mount Saint Joseph University
Drew Lane- Ohio State University
Addison Mohan- Ohio University Athens
Aiden Spaulding- Ohio University Athens
Mikayla Spaulding- Ohio University Athens

SOPHOMORES
Kailee Adkins- Ohio University Chillicothe
Connor Davis- Wilmington College
Hannah Hull- Ohio University Athens
Jadan Lamerson- Ohio University Athens
Maya McCoy- Ohio University Chillicothe
Kaya Penn- Wright State University

FRESHMEN
William Skeens- Ohio University Athens
Aaron Ballentine- Rider University
Macklin Mohan- Ohio University Athens
Emma Willett- Ohio University Athens

Gates Foundation Directors include Nicole McLaughlin, Michelle Shanholtzer, Matthew Haller, Kimberly Hirsch, Nancy Harris, Jack Jeffery and Valerie Miller. Since the scholarship fund was initiated, the membership of the committee has remained intact.

“We are appreciative of the dedication of the committee members,” Mr. and Mrs. Gates said. “These individuals reflect the spirit of the scholarship fund in helping make this vision become a reality.”

The fund is administered by the Ohio University Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the university. More information on the Gates Foundation-Ross County Scholar’s Fund is available online at https://give.ohio.edu/advancement/gates-scholarship.