The Route 66 Podcast recently announced that Deanna DeValve of the Route 66 town of Catoosa, Oklahoma, has received $1,000 from the Route 66 Scholarship Program.
DeValve attends Oral Roberts University in nearby Tulsa.
Here’s the announcement of the scholarship on the podcast:
More from the news release by Anthony Arno, creator of the podcast and the scholarship:
Deanna is of Native American heritage and used her songwriting skills to submit an original song, “Remember.” Deanna also works part-time at the Route 66 Native Arts Alliance in Catoosa.
At the middle school level, the winning entry was the outline of a shield featuring four images along Route 66. Other submissions include both original and digital artwork, a radio broadcast, and an introduction of Missouri Route 66 using American Sign Language (ASL). Entries were judged by both Patreon supporters who support the podcast and past guests.
The scholarship program began in 2020 and this past year was extended to include an award at the college level.
While the submissions were very diverse, it is my hope that even more students will submit an entry for the 2022-2023 academic year once the program opens up.
The overall goal of the scholarship program is to promote the spirit of Route 66 in a younger generation of students who were born long after the highway was decommissioned. I want to thank everyone who helped promote the scholarship program, including many of the local school districts and colleges along the route.
Arno said he typically opens up scholarship applications between early and late summer each year.
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