The Susan Henggeler Memorial Scholarship was established in honor of a beloved member of the Albertsons Library community. Henggeler worked at the library for nearly 48 years before her death. She cared deeply about the campus community, and had the opportunity to mentor and create long-lasting relationships with many student employees.
This year’s scholarship recipient is Georgia Keshian. Keshian graduated from Boise High in 2015 and enrolled at Boise State that fall. She has worked in the library’s access services unit off and on ever since. “Georgia is kind, considerate of others and enjoys helping other students. She is a valued, long-time team member who is always happy to do whatever needs to be done,” shared Shelly Doty, head of access services, and Keshian’s long-time supervisor.
The last seven years have brought lots of change to Keshian and her family. Her mom has been battling cancer since Keshian was little, and Keshian herself experiences ongoing medical issues. She’s also changed her major several times – which keeps extending her enrollment at Boise State.
And there have been exciting milestones. Keshian got married last year, and the couple is expecting their first child early next spring. She’s on track to graduate in a couple of years with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, emphasis on poetry.
Keshian proudly claims the title “library kid.” When she was little, her mom routinely took her to story hour at the Boise Public Library. Between the ages of 12 and 18 Keshian spent every Tuesday night there. She became a member of the teen advisory board and even volunteered for Comic Con.
As a young child who was coping with a sick mom, reading books at the public library helped Keshian “escape to another world” free of anxiety and disease. In fact, it was in this “other world” at Boise State’s library where she came up with the idea to launch Books and Blankets. Keshian and a friend have been collecting and donating new books and blankets to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital since 2017.
When asked how the scholarship will impact Keshian, she replied “Health issues and medical bills have been a burden on my husband and me as a young couple. Even though we follow a tight budget, we were still considering what else we could eliminate – some of our grocery items? Recent inflation has affected us. We struggle to keep up with expenses, like car repairs, as we prepare for a baby. The scholarship lessens that burden.”
The scholarship provides the library’s eligible student employees with the opportunity to receive additional funding to assist with purchasing needed class materials or payment of fees and tuition. Student-eligibility requirements for the scholarship include being employed as a student assistant at the library for at least one year and demonstrating financial need by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).