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Six Southern Oklahomans Receive Noble Scholarships
Six local young ladies among 10 named to prestigious $5,000/year awards

ARDMORE — Four students whose parents work for the Noble Foundation and two whose parents work at Samedan Oil Corporation's Ardmore office were among the 10 students recently announced as 2002 Noble Educational Fund scholarship recipients.

Noble Foundation employees' children receiving scholarships are Lacie Nicole Aldridge, Lauren Ann Gonzales, Lezi He, and Lindsay Jo Letner. Samedan/Ardmore employees' children named as scholarship recipients are Rebecca Patrice Brinkley and Danielle Alyce Lette.

The scholarships are for $5,000 per year, for up to four years of college. Applicants are selected by an independent committee of Ardmore citizens who have no affiliation with the Noble Foundation or any other Noble-related company participating in the program. Selection is based on uniformly applied criteria, including but not limited to academic record, character, leadership, references, seriousness of purpose, and ACT or SAT test scores.

The 51 applicants for the scholarships included many outstanding students whose parents work for the various Noble-affiliated companies or foundation, according to Judy Newman, Noble Educational Fund program coordinator. Applications came from eight states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Montana, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.

"Applicants for these scholarships are always highly competitive," Newman said. "It's always a difficult decision for the committee. You must be an excellent and well-rounded student to receive one of these awards."

This year's NEF scholarship recipients had an average ACT score of 29 and an average grade point average of 3.93 on a 4.0 scale.

Lacie Nicole Aldridge
Lacie Nicole Aldridge graduated from Ardmore High School and plans to attend the University of Oklahoma, majoring in journalism.

She was listed on the Principal's and Superintendent's honor rolls, and won awards for International Foreign Language and 1st and 3rd places for monthly videos from the Oklahoma Interscholastic Press Association. She was named an Oklahoma State University Alumni Honors Scholar, served as a page for Rep. Greg Piatt at the state capitol, and was a Lions Club Student of the Month. She has worked three summers in the Foundation's Agriculture Division.

She was in the French and Math clubs, served on the Student Council and video productions staff, was an active member in her church youth group, worked with Serve America, and volunteered with the United Way. She also was a peer tutor at high school and tutored French with first and sixth graders. She has studied dance for 12 years, competing for two years.

She enjoys working on computers, assembling scrapbooks, and working with children. She is the daughter of David and Liz Aldridge (Noble Foundation).

Rebecca Patrice Brinkley
Rebecca Patrice Brinkley graduated from Ardmore High School as a salutatorian and Distinguished Honor Scholar and plans to attend Oklahoma State University. She has not decided on a major.

While in high school, she was a member of the National and Oklahoma honor societies, Student Council, Leaflets Study Club, Science Club, Art Club, marching and symphonic bands, basketball pep band, Honor Chorus, and the Madrigal Singers. She participated in Young Women's Leadership Ardmore, and volunteered as a hospital aide. In her church, she sang, played French horn with the orchestra, and volunteered as a church nursery worker.

She was named a Daily Ardmoreite Blue Ribbon Scholar, an Oklahoma Academic Scholar, All-American Scholar, and to Who's Who Among American High School Students. She received the National Leadership and Service Award, AHS American History Award, and National English Merit Award, and was an Optimist Club honoree. She was in the All-State High School Chorus (three years), All-District Chorus (six years), and All-District Band (three years).

Her hobbies include reading, music, gardening and drawing. Her parents are Paula and Lannis "Buddy" Brinkley (Samedan Oil Company, Ardmore).

Lauren Ann Gonzales
Lauren Ann Gonzales graduated from Ardmore High School and has registered to study forensic science at Baylor University/Waco, Texas, with plans to attend medical school.

She received several academic awards, including National Hispanic Scholar, National and Oklahoma honor societies, National Honor Roll-ERCA, Who's Who among American High School Students, All-American Scholar, Superintendent's Honor Roll, and Rotary Club Student of the Month. She has also received a Baylor University President's Scholarship.

In high school, she was active in Drama, Science, Spanish and Math clubs, Young Women's Leadership Ardmore, yearbook staff, Student Council, Leaflets Study Group, and her church youth group. She volunteered with Loaves and Fishes, the Soup Kitchen, church thrift shop, Chickasaw Library children's program, Community in Schools/Ardmore, and Noble Foundation's Profiles and Perspectives. She also worked with Theatre Shakespeare in the Park, Southern Oklahoma Arts and Humanities Council, Ardmore International Council, high school theatre productions, and as a student dance assistant. She also has taken dance classes. Dancing and theatre are her primary interests. She has worked three summers in the Noble Foundation's Plant Biology Division.

She is the daughter of Jane and Bob Gonzales (Noble Foundation).

Lezi He
Lezi He graduated from Ardmore High School and plans to study business at the University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia.

She was a National Merit Scholar finalist, Presidential Scholar candidate, and has won scholastic awards in Latin I and II, advanced biology, advanced U.S. History, math analysis, English II and algebra II. She won a gold medal in the National Latin Exam and placed 1^st in geometry in curriculum contest. She has been taking college courses at the Ardmore Higher Education Center as well.

Lezi was active in Student Council (treasurer), Academic Bowl Team (co-captain), and Latin Club (president). She also volunteers extensively, with the Ardmore Literacy Council, Community in Schools enrichment camp, Habitat for Humanity, Meals-on-Wheels, and Southern Oklahoma Blood Institute. She has attended Girls State (elected state treasurer), was a junior counselor, Youth Leadership Oklahoma, and LBW at the University of Pennsylvania.

She enjoys the outdoors, especially hiking, swimming, mountain biking and stargazing at Lake Murray State Park; working out during the winter; and participating in school activities.

She is the daughter of Tian Zheng and Xian Zhi He (Noble Foundation).

Lindsay Jo Letner
Lindsay Jo Letner graduated from Lakin (Kansas) High School in May 2000 and is a junior biochemistry/pre-med major at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln. She plans to become a family physician.

At college, she has received a UCARE Research Grant and is listed on the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies; is a University of Nebraska Honors Program Student; and received the Distinguished Scholar Award, New Nebraskan Award, American Quarter Horse Association Foundation Scholarship Award, Governor's Scholar Award, the Thomas/Folsom Memorial Scholarship, the Beymer Scholarship, University of Kansas Honor Student Award, and National Science Merit Award.

In high school, she was active in varsity cheerleading, Scholar's Bowl, school play, forensics, baseball statistician, National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, and Partners in Community Service, and was named in Who's Who among American High School Students. In college, she is a Neihardt Council senator, NU Meds member (Community Service chairman), Biochemistry Club member (co-chair), AMSA member, health aide coordinator for the University Health Center, Web page manager for the Biochemistry Dept., biochemistry research position-FDH study, and is an Honors Program peer mentor. Her community involvement includes 4-H, AQHA horse shows, the Red Cross, and her church's youth group. She has job-shadowed with Dr. Judy Beumer, Sisseton, S.D. In her spare time, she enjoys showing and training horses, assisting with 4-H activities, canoeing, reading, and NU football.

She is the daughter of Kenny and Lori Heman (Noble Foundation) and Larry and Kristy Letner, Harris, Mo.

Danielle Alyce Lette
Danielle Alyce Lette graduated from Ardmore High School and plans to attend Evangel University in Springfield, Mo., to play softball. She plans to become a mathematics teacher.

In high school, she participated in Young Women's Leadership Ardmore, Leaflets Study Group, Student Council, Senior Class treasurer, Science Club, Math Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, American Sign Language Club and FHA. She also was active in softball, basketball, tennis, swimming and track, and volunteered as a mentor for a day care center, with Ardmore Beautification Council, Oklahoma Special Olympics, and the Ardmore Soup Kitchen.

She also participated in Oklahoma Girls State, was an All-American Scholar, in the National and Oklahoma honor societies, and won an OSU Honors Award and the Junior Rotarian Scholastic Award, and was named in Who's Who among American High School Students, and a Daily Ardmoreite Blue Ribbon Scholar.

Her pastimes include sports competition, camping, riding horses, parasailing, painting, reading, and creating scrapbooks/memory albums.

Her parents are Roger and Diane Gary (Samedan/Ardmore).

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Photos (TIFFS)
Lacie Aldridge	Rebecca Brinkley	Lauren Gonzales	Lezi He	Lindsay Letner	Danielle Lette

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release