Naperville teen volunteer receives scholarship

Emily Deahr, a teen volunteer at Naper Settlement, received the 2013 Copenhagen Schoolhouse Scholarship of $500 to be used for college expenses during her freshman year.

Established by Naperville residents Eve and Tom Hushek, the scholarship is available to high school seniors who have volunteered at Naper Settlement for at least two years, during their sophomore and junior years, as a volunteer costumed building interpreter.

Applicants must have demonstrated the customer service expectations specified by Naper Settlement.

Deahr, a senior at Naperville North High School, has volunteered at Naper Settlement since 2010. She has conducted tours of the museum buildings for visitors and demonstrated 19th century crafts, occupations and pastimes, primarily at the Paw Paw Post Office, built in 1833.

To earn the Gold Award, the highest recognition in Girl Scouting, she developed the Junior Historian program, a fun way for kids to learn about history through activities, games and puzzles.

She also received the Naperville Youth Service Award from KidsMatter and the Naperville City Council for her volunteerism at Naper Settlement.

“I am very excited and honored to receive both,” she said. “The more effort you put into volunteering, the more fun it is and the more you learn.”

Deahr plans to major in history and has been accepted at the University of Iowa and North Central College. She is applying to several other colleges that have programs for history majors.

“This scholarship will help me in college as I pursue a degree in history and then go on to become a National Park ranger,” she said. “I really enjoyed meeting all the people who came through the Paw Paw Post Office while I was there. I hope that the guests enjoyed themselves and learned a little bit about Naperville’s history.”

Naper Settlement’s teen volunteers undergo many hours of training in history, customer service and emergency procedures. To reward those teen volunteers who exemplify the best in customer service and dedication to Naper Settlement, the Husheks established the annual $500 award in 2011.

Eve Hushek, who was a Naper Settlement museum educator for 11 years said, “I know that the scholarship winners will continue to excel long after their departure from Naper Settlement. To have their experience at Naper Settlement be even a small part of their success is reward enough for us.”