By Marie Underdown Lake Conroe Area Republican Women June 13, 2025

Lake Conroe Area Republican Women hosted their annual Scholarship Awards meeting recently at Walden Yacht Club.  The meeting began with a prayer by LCARW Chaplin Melinda Zuber followed by Montgomery Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Mark Ruffin leading us in the Pledges to the American Flag and Texas Flag.  Then attendees joined Lake Creek High School student Kimberly Boyd in the singing of the National Anthem. 

Next LCARW President Molly Adame introduced Scholarship Chair Brandie Lopez Gonzales who explained that this year’s awards are dedicated to two very special members of our organization who passed away recently and will be dearly missed.   The first $1500 scholarship was given in memory of Harriet Kerr.  Harriet was a longtime Montgomery County resident and was Lake Conroe Area Republican Women’s Club Treasurer for many years.   
Our second $1500 scholarship was given in memory of Barbara Hilton.  Barbara was also a long-time resident in our area and dedicated 25 years of her life to sending out LCARW’s monthly newsletter. 

In addition to this honor, LCARW will purchase two commemorative brick pavers in Memory Park so that their lives and their legacy will live on in our hearts.

Next Brandie explained the process that scholarship applicants must complete in order to be considered.  The application itself is 4 pages of questions which included their college entrance exam scores, their GPS scores, what clubs they are in and their volunteerism history. Then they needed to write an essay answering two questions: !. Why is it important to vote in local elections? And 2. Who is an adult that has been a positive influence in your life and why? There were actually 15 MISD students who applied, and it was very difficult to select the two winners. But after much consideration from the scholarship committee, the 2025 LCARW scholarship recipients are:  Jake Hutchison from Montgomery High School and Kimberly Boyd from Lake Creek High School.  

Jake, the recipient of the Harriet Kerr Scholarship, was introduced by the Youth Pastor from his church, Tim Ransey who mentioned that Jake’s contribution to his community were exemplary.  He graduated in the top 6% of his senior class 0f 383 students.  Jake is in the National Honor Society, been on the Student Council for four years and was its president for three. He has played varsity baseball and varsity basketball, with a level of commitment that is indictive of his disciplined nature and his determination to succeed.   In addition, Jake is very active at his church at the Fellowship of Huntsville where he has been involved in summer mission trips, served as Vacation Bible School leader for 4 summers and is employed as a part-time commercial window washer. His motto: “This is how we know love: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  1 John 3:16.”

Kimberly Boyd,  the recipient of the Barbara Hilton Scholarship, was introduced by her mother, Patricia Booth.  Kimberley holds a 4.0 Grade Point Average and is in the top 5% of her graduating class of 418 students.  She is also a member of the National Honor Society and is very active in her Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, serving as VP of Public Relations and President.  Her accomplishments also include membership in Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), the Spanish Honor Society and UIL Choir competition. She is employed at Chick-fil-a as a team member, a trainer and a manager.  Kimberly’s life motto is “Know Your Worth”.  Both Kimberly and Jake are attending Texas A & M University in the fall! 
Each winner received several special presentations.  On May 12th flags were flown over the Texas State Capital in their honor. In addition, they were presented with several commendations: Holly Arbuckle, representing U.S. Representative Congressman Morgan Lutrell,  Ivan Canalas for Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton and Sarah Henry representing Texas State Representative Will Metcalf.
Brandie concluded the ceremony by urging attendees to “do a little bit extra every single day” and live life to the fullest. 

Lake Conroe Area Republican Women will hold its annual Literacy Meeting on September 18th at Walden Yacht Club.  Go to www.lcarw.org for more information and Beyond Politics activities during the summer.

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