Enumclaw High senior Natalie DeMarco, an honor student and three-sport athlete, is one of the three Smart Choices Scholarship recipients for 2024.
This is the 12th year for the program that is sponsored by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, Gesa Credit Union, the Dairy Farmers of Washington and Les Schwab Tires. Aside from the trio of $5,000 scholarships, the program also awards a dozen $1,000 scholarships annually to student-athletes throughout Washington.
Aside from DeMarco, this year’s top honorees were Madeline Allred of Shelton High School and Emily Shin from Camas High.
“The WIAA is proud to honor another impressive group of Smart Choices Scholarship recipients,” WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman said. “Each of these student-athletes has had an incredibly positive impact competitively, in the classroom, and as a leader in their school community.”
Here’s what the scholarship program had to say about DeMarco. The comments were included in a press release issued April 22 by the WIAA.
“A year-round athlete and musician, Natalie DeMarco has been doing it all since she started high school. In between all of her athletic, academic, and musical endeavors, she found time to record over 600 hours of deeply meaningful community service – all while taking seven AP classes and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
“Throughout her career, DeMarco held down three different positions on the volleyball court as her team’s proverbial Swiss army knife. During the winter, she captained the basketball team, earning three more varsity letters. Meanwhile, last spring, DeMarco took second place in javelin at the state track meet, earning Team MVP honors in her junior season.
“Perhaps most impressively, though, beyond her four-year career as a member of ASB leadership, on top of her first-place finish in Washington’s Voice of Democracy competition, DeMarco has been a pillar of generosity in her community, founding programs to provide resources and funding to refugees and communities threatened by natural disasters around the world.”
More information about the Smart Choices Scholarship Program is available at wiaa.com/smartchoices.
