The International Order of the Golden Rule Foundation has selected the recipients of its 2025 Awards of Excellence Scholarships. These scholarships, totaling $10,000, are awarded to mortuary school students who demonstrate outstanding academic performance, funeral service experience, and commitment to serving families with compassion, fairness and dignity.

This year, 30 students from the United States and Canada applied. After careful consideration, six exceptional students were chosen to receive scholarships:

•  Jesse Currens, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, is a student at Mid-America College of Funeral Service and works for Ritchie & Peach Funeral Home. Currens was granted a $3,000 scholarship, as well as airfare, accommodations and registration, to attend the association’s recent PROGRESS event in Riverside, California.

•  Carmen Ward, Ontario, Canada, is a student at Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning and works for Henry Walser Funeral Home. She received a $2,000 scholarship.

•  Hannah Thompson, Auburn Hills, Michigan, is a student at the University of Central Oklahoma and works for Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons Inc. She received a $2,000 scholarship.

•  Joao Pozzi Arcaro, Canton, New York, is a student at State University of New York at Canton and works for Wright-Beard Funeral Home. He received a $1,000 scholarship.

•  Calvin M. Amato, Tyrone, Pennsylvania, is a student at Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and works for Koch Funeral Home. He received a $1,000 scholarship.

•  Angelyna M. Scheck, Newton, New Jersey, is a student at Eastwick College and works for F. John Ramsey Funeral Home. She received a $1,000 scholarship.

Each scholarship recipient also received a complimentary student association membership through the end of 2025. ogr.org