The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl and Independence Bowl Foundation are proud to announce Srikhar Chilukuri of Caddo Magnet High School and Makenzie Wolfe of Haughton High School as the recipients of the 2018 Willis-Knighton/Independence Bowl Foundation Community Service Scholarship.
A program in its 13th year, the Willis-Knighton Health System and Independence Bowl Foundation partner every year to award two graduating seniors from Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish each with a $2,500 scholarship. The scholarship is awarded based on academic excellence and service in the community.
Chilukuri, representing Caddo Parish Schools, ranks in the top five percent of his class at Caddo Magnet High School with a 4.77 weighted GPA. Among his long list of awards and honors, Chilukuri received the Caddo Magnet High School Distinguished Scholar Ward for his perfect ACT score and the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation Academic Achievement Award. He is an active member of the National Honor Society and National Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, and he is the President of the National Spanish Honor Society.
Chilukuri has volunteered countless hours at Sci-Port Discovery Center as the Science Enrichment Days Coordinator. During his time at Sci-Port Discovery Center, he acted as a supervisor and coordinator for young children engaging in science lab experiments and created the curriculum for young science enthusiasts. Chilukuri has also volunteered at Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Shreve Memorial Library as a Homework Gang Tutor, the North Louisiana Food Bank and Martin Luther King Health Center over the past two years.
Wolfe, the representative of Bossier Parish Schools, has been named a “Grade A Buc” all four years at Haughton High School, sporting a 4.28 GPA. Wolfe has dominated the Haughton High School Science Fair, taking home first place in both 2017 and 2018, and she also won first place at the 2018 Regional Science Fair. Wolfe is Haughton High School’s President of the National BETA Club, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the “Red Jackets,” and the Student Council Senior Senator and Chairman of the Community Service Committee.
Over the last two years, Wolfe has given back to not just the local community but also internationally. She has attended the River Valley Church Mission Trip the last two years, traveling to Nicaragua in 2017 and Guatemala in 2018. In 2017, her group hosted a Vacation Bible School at the local church along with various other tasks, and in 2018, her group helped clean up the grounds of the local church and host a play at the church. Along with helping with a multitude of different community events, Wolfe has also served as a Leadership Intern at Camp Invention the last two years, leading groups of elementary students through a week long engineering camp.
ABOUT THE WALK-ON’S INDEPENDENCE BOWL:
The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl is the 11th-oldest bowl game, set to play the 43rd edition of the game on December 27, 2018 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl enjoys primary conference agreements with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC), as well as backup agreements with the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and Conference USA (C-USA). The Walk-On’s Independence Bowl and Independence Bowl Foundation are prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. For more information, visit WalkOnsIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @IndyBowl.