Groendyke Transport recently awarded Piper Sorter the Jonathan Luevano Memorial Scholarship.
As this year’s winner, Sorter—who is the daughter of Liberal, Kansas, driver Ricky Sorter—will receive $1,500 toward her fall tuition at Oklahoma State University, where she plans to major in pre-veterinary medicine.
“This scholarship means the world to me,” Sorter said in a news release. “Though both my parents work extremely hard to run this family, I would like to take the financial burden off of my amazing parents when it comes to school.
“With this scholarship, I am one step closer to achieving my future career goals.”
The scholarship, first awarded in 2016, is given each year to a dependent or grandchild of a Groendyke employee to help pay for their education. It honors the memory of Jonathan Luevano, a young driver at Groendyke’s Fort Worth, Texas, terminal who was shot and killed on May 7, 2015, while delivering fuel to a local convenience store.
The Enid, Oklahoma-based tank truck company started the scholarship to keep Luevano’s memory and giving spirit alive.
“Piper is a deserving recipient of this scholarship, and we are honored to help her achieve her academic goals,” said Greg Hodgen, Groendyke president and CEO. “It’s important to us as a company to keep Jonathan’s spirit alive. He represented Groendyke with complete professionalism, and his helpful spirit inspired coworkers, customers, family, and friends alike.”
Sorter, who also secured a scholarship from Golden Plains Insurance, graduated this spring from Eads High School in Eads, Colorado, with a 3.892 grade-point average and a résumé filled with extracurricular activities, including Future Farmers of America, Future Business Leaders of America, cheerleading, yearbook, and National Honor Society.