CONRAD — Bridger Gouchenour, a senior at Conrad High School, was recently awarded a $10,000 scholarship from H&R Block as part of the company's "Make Every Block Better" program.
Bridger was selected because of his willingness and ability to drive change, connect people, and create impact in his community. He spearheaded a project to create an ADA-compliant path at Legion Park - a project that was deeply personal for him.
Bridger explained, “I did it because my grandmother, in the last years of her life, she was paralyzed from the neck down. We would always hangout at this park but it would be hard to get her into the pavilion. So I saw the need in the community and I was able to prepare a plan, execute the plan, and follow through with everything. Then make it easier not only for her but others like her.”
He plans to use the scholarship as he prepares for a pre-med program at Brigham Young University, and plans to become a pediatrician.
Ashly Buswell, the librarian and Spanish teacher at Conrad High School, said, “It’s great to see students from small communities be able to achieve stuff that we think of as traditionally only being available to people of big communities. You think bigger community, more opportunities, but even here in the small spaces we have people who are doing great things who deserve to be recognized."
Bridger: “I didn’t think I was going to get this scholarship because there’s hundreds of applicants that did it. So I was like, ‘Might as well just apply, you don't have a chance if you don't apply.' So I was like, trust your gut, it’ll work out.”
H&R Block said: "Bridger is also among fifteen other high-achieving high school student winners from across the country, representing scholars, student government leaders, scientists and engineers, as well as artists and musicians. Beyond their academics, they have dedicated themselves to making their communities better in innovative ways and pursuing projects that bring people together."