Taylor Oestreich receives Commerce Bank Scholarship

6/11/2012 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

William Woods University student Taylor Oestreich of Fulton, Mo., is the recipient of the 2011 Commerce Bank Scholarship for $937 from Missouri Colleges Fund (MCF). This scholarship is awarded to students with demonstrated contributions to their school.

Missouri Colleges Funds assists private colleges and universities in Missouri by working with private donors to secure scholarship opportunities.
 
Oestreich graduated in 2010 from Fulton High School, where he participated in several organizations, including the soccer team, National Honor Society and Hi-Step. He spent his free time coaching basketball for Special Olympics.
 
Going into his junior year at William Woods University, Oestreich is majoring in special education.
 
“When I first started school, I was an undecided major. One of my buddies told me, ‘Pick a profession that you know you will love. Look at it as if it is your hobby. If you love what you’re doing, it will feel like you never worked a day in your life.’ The second he said that, I knew special education was the field I wanted to go into,” Oestreich said.
 
Oestreich says the youngsters he coached in Special Olympics made him want to spend his life working with children who are not as fortunate as others. He says they teach him how to be respectful and enjoy the small things in life.
 
Still a coach for Special Olympics, Oestreich also is a member Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity at WWU. As philanthropy chair, he helps raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Last year he was named one of the three Outstanding Freshmen of the Year.