2014 Maryland Scholarship Recipient – Lauren Kirchenheiter

Feature | 2010-10-01 | No Comments

Lauren with her parents at the Severna Park Senior Awards

December 2017 Update:

Hi Mr. and Mrs. Herzberg,

It is nice to hear from you. I’m so sorry I haven’t done a better job about sending annual updates, and I am sorry for my delay in response.

It has been a busy few years! I graduated with honors from Clemson University in May 2017, earning my bachelor’s degree in Communications and a minor in Sociology in just three years. I have had internships at Clemson’s Pearce Center for Professional Communication, Special Olympics Greenville, and currently in the marketing department at Techtronic Industries (TTI) in Anderson, SC. I am hoping to make a shift soon and begin my career in university or nonprofit communications.

In college, I played club volleyball, volunteered with a local adaptive sports program, and joined the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

I am grateful every day for the opportunities this scholarship granted me. I was able to study abroad during the summer of 2016. Over the course of one month, I visited cities in Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece. I beach-hopped along the Costa Brava in Spain, went paragliding off of a mountaintop in the French Alps, hiked Mt. Vesuvius in Pompeii, and toured the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, all while studying and earning credits toward my degree. I enjoyed my European adventure so much that after graduating college, I went on a week-long tour of Ireland with my best friend.

I was also blessed with a national championship-winning football season during my final year at Clemson, and a strong alumni network that has helped me tremendously in the months after graduation. I am proud to be a tiger! I still live in Clemson for now, but I am hoping to get a job and explore somewhere new very soon.

I hope you both are well! I’ve attached a photo from my study abroad trip taken at the Chateau de Menthon-Saint-Bernard in Annecy, France.

Best,

Lauren Kirchenheiter

Dear Lauren – wow….what a life you have had so far….good for you! We are blessed to have played a very small role in helping you. I’m glad you got in touch. Being a Clemson grad myself (MBA), I can understand your pride in the school. I feel the same way. Hopefully they can complete the back to back feat this year.

Many blessings to you!
Eric and Wendi Herzberg

June 2014:

Mr. and Mrs. Herzberg,

Thank you so much for choosing me as the recipient of the Eric Herzberg Memorial scholarship. I cannot even begin to explain what an honor this is to me and how much it will help my family as they prepare to send another kid off to college. I will be attending Clemson University in the fall and I am very excited about the myriad of opportunities the school offers to get involved both on campus and throughout the local town. Go Tigers!

Again, I want to express my sincerest gratitude for this recognition and my best wishes to you and your family. I look forward to staying in touch!

Thank you,

Lauren Kirchenheiter

Lauren – it was a privilege to read your application and especially your essay about Eric. This award is well deserved. We look forward to meeting you next week at the Awards Night and tracking your progress over the years. Many blessings to you!

We, the privileged few.
We the privileged few knew Eric W. Herzberg.

We are poorer because Eric is no longer with us.
We are richer because he was here even briefly.

He exemplified integrity.
His integrity led to commitment.
His commitment led to fulfilling his expected duty.
His duty led to sacrifice.

Teddy Roosevelt once said: "The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood, who knows the great devotions and sends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, if he wins, knows the thrills of high achievement and, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

Eric was in the arena: football, soccer, wrestling, rugby, Marines. He knew the thrills of high achievement, tested himself against the very best and was not found wanting. He knew victory, he knew defeat, but he always dared greatly.

Senator Alan Simpson once said: "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters."

Eric had integrity. Nothing else matters.

Thoughts from Fred Herzberg, Eric's grandfather - Veterans Day, 2006.
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2014 Maryland Scholarship Recipient – Lauren Kirchenheiter

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