Shae Etherington: 2016 Pat Adams Memorial Scholarship Recipient

Floyd County Community Foundation

June 2, 2017

As a high school student, Shae Etherington worked for four years at a local café in her hometown of Charles City, Iowa with a goal of saving enough money to pay for her college education. Unfortunately, the money she had been saving was not enough to cover tuition at the University of Northern Iowa, which is why when she learned she had been awarded a substantial scholarship, Shae was more than relieved.

The Pat Adams Memorial Scholarship Fund with the Floyd County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, awarded Shae a four-year, $60,000 scholarship. The scholarship was established by Pat Adams through her will and influenced by her passion for education and Charles City. In 2016, 272 scholarships were made possible by the generosity of donors like Pat Adams through the Community Foundation.

“My whole life I’ve been money conscious. When that stress was taken away from me, it was a big relief. I was super grateful,” said Shae.

Though Shae was a hardworking student at Charles City High School, she never imagined she would receive this particular award.

Now, at the end of her freshman year at UNI, Shae has already reaped the benefits of the Pat Adams scholarship. She took a break from working during her first semester to give herself time to adjust to her new environment and schedule. In addition, with her scholarship in hand, Shae was able to use her savings for “extras” like attending her college-ministry conference. “Without the scholarship, I wouldn’t have had the ability to spend money on these other great opportunities,” said Shae.

Currently, Shae is studying to become a speech and language pathologist. The career choice is derived from a passion for working with the elderly and children with special needs – both groups that benefit from speech pathology. “I don’t know if Ms. Adams could have ever realized how thankful I am,” said Shae. “The scholarship makes a huge difference in my life and I am forever grateful.”