June 26, 2023 – Two MacArthur high school students were recently awarded the Hagen Scholarship, which honors a previous MacArthur graduate, by History of the Heartland.
In 2021, History of the Heartland created an annual scholarship in memory of Loren Doug Hagen, MacArthur’s Class of 1964 Student Council President. Applicants must have been graduating MacArthur students who displayed extracurricular leadership qualities and will a college or university. Additional preference was given to students who have a connection to military service, either through a family member or ROTC program. The scholarship wasn’t awarded in 2021 due to a lack of student leadership opportunities caused by COVID-19, so two $500 scholarships were awarded this year to Dianne Hernandez-Bruno and Owen Raleigh.
“Our committee believes Owen and Dianne exemplify the qualities the Hagen family asked us to look for in recipients of the scholarship,” said Ayn Owens, founder of History of the Heartland, in a press release.
After studying engineering at North Dakota State University, Hagen enlisted in the Army and served as a Green Beret during the Vietnam War. He was killed while checking on a team member who had been wounded and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership and bravery overseas. Hagen’s family wished to preserve his memory for future generations, so they partnered with History of the Heartland to establish a fund that will benefit students for years to come.
Hernandez-Bruno served as the secretary for MacArthur’s Student Council and is currently enrolled at Richland Community College, where she is pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Raleigh led MacArthur’s robotics team and will study aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Tax-deductible donations are currently being accepted for next year’s scholarship. To learn more about donating, click HERE.
