Kayla Moss was the only female recipient of the Maicy Braden Scholarship. Pictured, from left, are teachers Liz Thoman and Rosie Gotfredson, the other scholarship recipient Dyllon Stine, Kayla Moss holding a picture of Maicy Braden, and school board member and former teacher Tom Wilson.
Kayla Moss holds a photo of Freda Ann Bozner-Brittenham.
As the school year ends and students prepare for their futures, several local students have been the recipients of scholarships, but one Green River High School student has especially stood out.
Kayla Moss was selected as the 2023 recipient of the Freda Ann Bozner-Brittenham Memorial Scholarship and the Maicy Braden Scholarship.
The Freda Ann Bozner-Brittenham Memorial Scholarship was created by Mark Brittenham in honor of his mother, who showed strength of character throughout life's struggles. Born in Green River in 1931 to immigrants from Yugoslavia/Slovenia, Freda Ann Bozner-Brittenham attended Green River High School and received a scholarship to University of Wyoming but gave up the scholarship to help care for her family. At 42 years old, she passed away from colon cancer just 11 months after being diagnosed.
Mark Brittenham admired his mother for her love of family, pride in her roots, strength in overcoming adversity, and selflessness in providing for and loving others.
"I reflected upon this and the various facets of my mother's life and how I could mirror the things which enhanced her life and simultaneously answer the needs a young woman such as herself faced," Mark explained.
In the 1990s, he came up with the idea of establishing a scholarship in his mother's honor. He wanted to create a way to help female graduates at GRHS and to fill the gaps between other scholarships focused on sports and academics, establishing "a fund that would benefit the young women dedicated to those lesser-known, less-well trodden paths of the hard-working American."
When Mark learned about this year's recipient, he was amazed by how much Kayla Moss mirrors the character of his mother.
"I cannot describe the happiness I felt as I had the privilege to learn more about Kayla," he said.
Kayla Moss is a Future Farmers of America officer who attended the FFA Nationals. She was one of a duo to accept the FFA Gold Chapter Award and is also a member of the State Chapter of the Year Award recipients. She also currently works part time at White Mountain Lumber. She plans to continue her education at Northwest Community College in Powell, where she will complete her associate degree in Secondary Education. Once she has completed this, she will transfer to the University of Wyoming to complete her teaching certification requirements.
Mark was also excited to note that Kayla was the only female candidate for the Maicy Braden scholarship, which she was awarded for her performance in woods and welding. This scholarship is set aside for industrial arts students, and was created to honor the memory of Maicy Braden, a GRHS student who died in an automobile crash in 2016. Braden has been described as a gifted welder and had a profound love for building and creating practical solutions using her metal working skills, as well as a special talent in the areas of auto mechanics and collision refinishing.
Being chosen to receive both scholarships shows Kayla Moss's dedication and talent as a student.
"I think of all the incredible things Kayla has accomplished, all that she will continue to do in her community as a teacher and a citizen, and throughout the many years ahead of her," Mark Brittenham said.
Other Green River High School students receiving scholarships included Dyllon Stine, who was chosen as the other recipient of the Maicy Braden Scholarship, and Kaylee Nelson, who was announced as one of three recipients of the Sweetwater County Commissioner Scholarship.
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