The Shawna E. Shea Memorial Foundation Scholarship honors the memory of Shawna Shea, who at 16 tragically lost her life in an automobile accident in 1999. The Shawna Foundation Scholarship is awarded annually High School Seniors who exhibits Shawna’s character and personality—qualities that made her unique and left a lasting impact on everyone she touched in her short life here on Earth. Those qualities are best described in a poem written by her father Skip Shea entitled, “She Rode Her Own Wave.” It begins with these words:   

 

 She Rode Her Own Wave
               inviting any and all on, 
               but never drifting off on others. 
               It was a large wave 
               with a direct route to the shore 
               passing us as the undertow 
               pulls us further out.   

 
Shawna’s family believes that she would always want to help her friends and anyone who lives on the margins of life, who rides their own wave and yet deserves everything beautiful that life can give.   

We offer three separate $1,000 scholarships:

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1. The Shawna E. Shea Memorial Scholarship. The original scholarship established in 2001 shortly after Shawna passed away.

2. The Shawna E. Shea Scholarship in Memory of Michael Liberty. This scholars was added following the untimely passing of Shawna's cousin Michael.

3. The Shawna E. Shea Nursing Scholarship in Memory of Alana Phoenix. Alana was Shawna's sister and passed away after suffering from ALS at a young age. Alana was a nurse, wife, mother, and devoted sister to Shawna and her surviving sisters Erin (her twin) and Kristin. This scholarship is for high school graduates accepted to nursing school.