By Crystal McGough, Editor
TRUSSVILLE – Hewitt-Trussville senior Vanessa Kariuki was named winner of the Donna Smothers Walker Memorial Scholarship on Friday, April 21, 2023, at the annual Hewitt-Trussville High School senior awards ceremony.
“I still remember her voice, the way her eyes squinted ever so slightly when she smiled, the smile lines around her mouth, and the warm presence that surrounded her,” Kariuki said of Walker in the essay she submitted for the scholarship. “… Something that caught me by surprise (at ‘Meet the Teacher’) was that she made an effort to meet me personally. Rather than make me feel like a child, she made me feel special. It was as though time stood still and her only focus was on me. … Mrs. Walker instilled in me qualities that have helped me become the young woman that I am today: kindness, compassion, patience, and accountability. … Not only did Mrs. Walker leave an impact on my life. She left the first and most monumental impact on my life. I strongly believe that Mrs. Walker was put into my life for a reason. Without her influence, I do not think that I would be the person that I am today.”
Donna Walker, who was a kindergarten teacher in Trussville for 33 years, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 57 in April of 2021. After her funeral, former Paine Primary and Hewitt Elementary principal Betsy Schmitt, along with one of Walker’s longtime coworkers Gina Lackey, suggested creating a scholarship in her name.
“We thought that would be a great way to remember my mom and her legacy,” Walker’s daughter Amy said. “She had been an educator all of her life; she taught Kindergarten for 33 years and she had taught so long that she started having kids of parents who she had taught.”
This is the third year in a row that the $1,000 scholarship has been awarded to an HTHS graduating senior. To be considered for the scholarship, seniors who have memories of Walker must submit an essay detailing the impact Walker had on their life.
“Even though some of her last years were very difficult, her students always knew that she went to baseball games, or any sports games that they had, no matter where she was,” Amy said. “One of the essays talked about how she actually broke her arm that senior’s kindergarten year. She broke her arm the first day of school and she was out three or four months, yet, as soon as she was able to, she was still going to sports games and stuff to help her kids. She wanted them to know that she was there for them; even though she may not be there at school, she would be there for them emotionally. Teaching was her life. It was everything to her.”