The Crookston Rotary Club recently celebrated their Students of the Month from Crookston High School and the University of Minnesota Crookston. The students honored were Kristine Cotten (UMC), Claire Oman, and Emma Osborn (Crookston High School.) Each Student of the Month receives a $100 scholarship, with the high school students receiving theirs during the annual Triple A Banquet towards the end of the school year.
Kristine Cotten – January Student of the Month for UMC: Kristine is from Rosemount, Minnesota, and is a senior majoring in Natural Resources and Wildlife Management. Her family members include her mother, Paulette Velner, father, Steve Cotten, and stepmother, Shari Cotten. Activities and volunteer projects she’s involved in include being a member of the Natural Resources Club, VP of the student chapter of the Wildlife Society, and she also had research opportunities studying bat populations in Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge plus held an internship at the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN. She loves to spend time outdoors and hike with her dog as far as hobbies go. After graduation, she plans to move around and work seasonal wildlife research jobs, then go to grad school.
Claire Oman – January Student of the Month for Crookston High School: Claire is a senior at Crookston High School, and her parents are Andy and Lynnea. She has been a part of the student council for four years and is currently the president, plus she is part of the Leo Club. Claire also recently competed in the food science category for FFA at UMC and was a contestant in the 2021 Miss Crookston Scholarship Pageant. She’s helped with Safety Town since the 7th grade and teaches first and second-grade Sunday School classes at her church. For the last two years, she has been captain of the Crookston High School swim team and also helps with community swimming lessons at the Crookston pool. Her future plans include attending SDSU in Brookings, S.D. for Early Childhood Education.
Emma Osborn – February Student of the Month for Crookston High School: Emma is a senior at Crookston High School, and her parents are Doug and Jessica, plus she has three brothers, Caden (19), Colton (13), and Cutler (3.) She enjoys doing a lot of activities including going to the lake with family and friends, anything to do with animals, and playing tennis and basketball. This past season for tennis, they made it to state as a team, and in basketball, she’s currently a team captain. Emma has also played viola for eight years in a concert orchestra. A fun fact about Emma is that she also participated in the 2021 Miss Crookston Scholarship Pageant. Her talent was riding a unicycle and a skateboard while dribbling a tennis ball and a basketball. In her spare time, Emma works at RBJ’s Restaurant and coaches Parks & Rec tennis. When she graduates, she wants to start her long journey of becoming a veterinarian. She hasn’t decided on a school yet, but she’s been given exceptional opportunities.
A picture of the students with Rotary President George French is below –
