Brooke Bogdanovich, a senior at Hoquiam High School, is the recipient of the 2019 Dr. Scott A. Weatherwax Memorial University of Puget Sound $80,000 scholarship, the Grays Harbor Community Foundation announced Wednesday.

Bogdanovich will attend the University of Puget Sound this fall to pursue studies in biology and pre-med. Her career goal is to become an optometrist and move back into Grays Harbor to continue the practice her father, Greg Bogdanovich, started many years ago, according to the foundation.

“This scholarship gives me the ability to go to my dream school,” said Bogdanovich. “I love that the University of Puget Sound is a close-knit, friendly campus that offers me educational programs that I will need to achieve my career goals.”

The scholarship was established in 2014 for students pursing studies at the University of Puget Sound, with a preference for those studying science, according to the foundation. The scholarship is an annual award of $20,000 per year and is renewable for an additional three years.

“I hope to be among the high percentage of graduates that achieve acceptance into graduate programs upon graduating from UPS,” said Bogdanovich. “These are a few reasons why I am excited to become a Logger and to become a part of UPS class of 2023.”

Bogdanovich is one of Hoquiam’s four co-valedictorians with a 4.0 grade point average who will graduate with their classmates at Olympic Stadium June 7. In high school she has been involved in cheerleading and soccer, was selected Most Inspirational in golf and basketball, was the yearbook editor and Lions Club Student of the Month.

Dr. Scott A. Weatherwax was the son of Marian Abel and Ben K. Weatherwax and graduated from J.M. Weatherwax High School where he was a standout athlete and student. . He went on to the University of Puget Sound where he was a small-college All American basketball player. He then attended the University of Washington Dental School, served two years in the U. S. Army, and had a successful career in dentistry in Tacoma.

Weatherwax retired to Grays Harbor where he became actively involved on the Board of Directors of the Grays Harbor Community Foundation as its scholarship committee chairman, and a member of the finance and grants committees.

Dr. Weatherwax died of cardiac arrest while camping and hiking with friends on Vancouver Island in 2008.

“Scott always believed that it was the responsibility of the community to cultivate the leaders of the future,” according to a foundation statement. “He understood that a well-educated individual needs exposure to the arts and sports, and that leadership can start young. He believed that hard work should be rewarded. We believe Brooke would make him proud.”