Tristain Prosper, a 2016 graduate of Neenah High School, has been named the inaugural recipient of the National Ripken Foundation Scholar Award. Prosper is the only recipient of the award that carries a $50,000 college scholarship.
Prosper earned the award through the Foundation’s “Badges for Baseball” program that pairs youth mentors involved in law enforcement with children. Prosper progressed through the program from a participant in 2012 to an assistant coach in 2015. YouthGo in Neenah has sponsored the program locally since 2010.
The National Ripken Foundation Scholar Award was developed to further empower the youth the Ripken Foundation impacts and to encourage participants to stay on a path to educational success. The achievement-based scholarship award will be presented annually to a high school senior or first-year college student to assist in their pursuit of a college education.
Prosper currently attends the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and works as a Community Service Officer for the Grand Chute Police Department. Prosper has aspirations to transfer to UW-Milwaukee to complete his degree in law enforcement.
“His compassion and zeal toward giving back epitomizes the mission of the Ripken Foundation,” Ripken Foundation president Steve Salem said of Prosper. “We hope this award provides him with the financial tools to pursue his dreams and look forward to watching his continued growth and success for years to come.”
At Neenah High School, Prosper was involved in drama productions. He is the son of Scott and Denise Sterling and attended Roosevelt Elementary School.
He was awarded the honor from the award’s namesake and Hall of Fame baseball player himself on Feb. 24 in Baltimore.
|