Summerlin students receive college scholarships

The Summerlin Children’s Forum, a nonprofit organization established in 1997 by leaders of the Summerlin master-planned community and its developer, Howard Hughes, recently awarded four college scholarships to outstanding high school graduates who are residents of the community.

Since 1997, SCF has funded more than $700,000 in scholarships, enrichment grants and special educational programs. The annual scholarship program is open to all graduating high school seniors who reside in Summerlin, regardless of where they attend high school.

“We look forward to awarding the Summerlin Children’s Forum scholarships every year to celebrate not just the recipients, but all Summerlin high school seniors who are pursuing advanced education,” said Randy Ecklund, senior vice president and executive director, Summerlin Community Association Management. “Our scholarship recipients represent the very best from their respective schools for both academic achievement and commitment to community service, and they all have bright futures ahead of them.”

The first scholar is Denisse Alarcon, a graduate of Faith Lutheran High School, who will attend Baylor University with the goal of going to law school to become a family attorney, given her desire to help reunite families and children. Alarcon, a native of Bolivia, who also lived in Switzerland before relocating to Summerlin nine years ago, is bilingual. She is an honor roll student, scholar athlete, Spanish Honors Society president and a member of Dance Honor Society.

Katie Krieg, a graduate of Palo Verde High School, will attend UNLV this fall, where she plans to major in biology with the goal of pursuing a career in the medical field as a sonographer. An honors student who will graduate with college credits, Krieg has provided more than 300 volunteer hours to local nonprofits as a member of National Charity League, a mother-daughter service organization.

Alexa Tonn, a graduate of Faith Lutheran High School, will attend San Diego State University in the fall seeking an undergraduate degree in political science. Her long-term goal is to attend law school so she can advocate for victims of medical malpractice, a desire born out of her own situation in which she underwent two brain surgeries last year for a rare brain condition for which she continues to receive treatment. Active in school organizations, including Mock Trial, Model United Nations, Key Club and Quiz Bowl, Tonn also organized a book drive for children who are being treated for cancer at Cure 4 the Kids Foundation.

Edie Killpack, a graduate of Palo Verde High School, will attend Brigham Young University, where she is considering studying pre-medicine, inspired by her own experience living with type 1 diabetes. Killpack, who graduated as salutatorian of Palo Verde’s 2024 graduating class, is a National Merit finalist for 2024 and a National Merit semifinalist for 2023. She has multiple Advanced Placement classes to her credit, earning high scores in all, and she has earned several academic honors and distinctions, in addition to participating in cross country, track and field and debate.

In its 34th year of development, Summerlin offers more amenities than any other Southern Nevada community. These include 300-plus parks of all sizes; 200-plus miles of interconnected trails; resident-exclusive community centers; 10 golf courses; 26 public, private and charter schools; a public library and performing arts center; Summerlin Hospital Medical Center; houses of worship representing a dozen different faiths; office parks; neighborhood shopping centers.

Downtown Summerlin offers fashion, dining, entertainment, Red Rock Resort and Class-A office buildings. City National Arena is home of the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility. The Las Vegas Ballpark is a world-class Triple-A baseball stadium and home of the Las Vegas Aviators.

Summerlin offers nearly 100 floor plans in approximately 20 neighborhoods throughout nine distinct villages and districts. Homes, built by many of the nation’s top homebuilders, are available in a variety of styles — from single-family homes to town homes, priced from the mid-$400,000s to more than $1 million.

For information on all actively selling neighborhoods, visit Summerlin.com. Before you visit, call the builders to check on hours of operation. Phone numbers for each neighborhood are on Summerlin.com.