{"id":6689,"date":"2019-03-21T13:21:14","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T20:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cahnrs.wsu.edu\/reconnect\/?page_id=6689"},"modified":"2019-04-03T11:13:11","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T18:13:11","slug":"broadening-horizons","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cahnrs.wsu.edu\/reconnect\/reconnect-2019\/broadening-horizons\/","title":{"rendered":"Broadening Horizons"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Broadening Horizons<\/h1>\n

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\n\t\t\tThe Cecelia \u201cBunny\u201d Quirk Agricultural Scholarship\t<\/h2>\n

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T<\/span>ravel is one of Bunny Quirk\u2019s great passions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Cecelia\u201cMy mother and my grandfather always wanted to be some place other than where they were,\u201d she says, recounting her youth on her family\u2019s wheat farm, \u201cand I inherited that trait.\u201d<\/p>\n

At well under five feet tall, Bunny, whose given name is Cecelia, has never let her petite size\u2014or anything else\u2014 stand in her way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started traveling young,\u201d she says. \u201cI have a great deal of curiosity about the world, and I\u2019ve never been afraid of anything or meeting anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stamps on her passport are there to prove it\u2014from the South Pacific to the Swiss Alps, her travels have taken her to the far corners of the world, far beyond the edge of most people\u2019s comfort zones. Her favorite place?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a toughie,\u201d she says, looking into the distance, searching the catalogues of her memory. When the answer comes, she smiles. \u201cEthiopia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The joy of giving<\/h3>\n

Born and raised in Lincoln County, Wash., Bunny graduated from WSU with a degree in Home Economics and made a career as a teacher in the Yakima valley. Summer vacations gave her the freedom to read and travel. Retirement has increased her time for both.<\/p>\n

These days, Bunny lives in a house that has been in her family for three generations. Filled with heirlooms handed down from her grandmother to her mother and on to her, the house is also a reminder of the legacy she inherited\u2014to work hard and give to others. \u201cI\u2019ve lived a blessed life,\u201d Bunny says, \u201cand it feels good to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the ways Bunny has chosen to honor that legacy of giving is through the creation of a scholarship that supports CAHNRS students. Now in its fourth year, the Cecelia \u201cBunny\u201d Quirk Agricultural Scholarship funds students studying agricultural education or crop and soil sciences and reflects the importance of connection and stewardship to the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cWashington state is special,\u201d Bunny says. \u201cThe diverse landscapes, the diverse agriculture. I\u2019ve seen a lot of the world, and Washington is very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bunny is the first to admit that even she is surprised by the trajectory of her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was growing up, Grand Coulee Dam was the largest dam in the world, and when important people were visiting, they were taken there.\u201d One of those important people was Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia. \u201cHe drove right through town,\u201d she says, crediting that memory with sparking her desire to see the world.<\/p>\n

But a scholarship in her name started as a small dona\u00adtion. \u201cI think most of us start off giving a little bit, and we enjoy it,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s really why I do it. Giving probably gives me more pleasure than it helps those who receive.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lasting legacy<\/h3>\n

While she\u2019d rather be in Bermuda than in the spotlight, Bunny knows her gift has the potential to change the lives of the students who receive her scholarship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to ease their load,\u201d she says. \u201cI want them to have good careers, good families. And I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019ll give back what they can one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also understands that a college education intro\u00adduces students to a bigger world than perhaps many of them have known. \u201cI\u2019m glad I came to WSU,\u201d Bunny says, \u201crather than a school where everybody was just like me. It\u2019s good to broaden your horizons.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what wisdom she might share with her scholarship recipients, Bunny has an answer that applies to us all.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t have to be like me, live the way I do, love the things I love. We\u2019re all individuals, but I\u2019d tell them to just pay it forward,\u201d she says. \u201cGive of your time, your talents, your treasure when you can, even if it\u2019s just a little bit. If all of us gave a little, it would go a long way.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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Haile Hunsaker<\/h2>\n

Cecelia \u201cBunny\u201d Quirk scholarship recipient<\/h3>\n

\"HaileHaile Hunsaker understands the power of education. Hunsa\u00adker, the 2018\u201319 recipient of the Cecelia \u201cBunny\u201d Quirk Scholarship, is pursuing a degree in Agriculture Education, and, much like Bunny Quirk did, she hopes to give back to her community as a high school teacher and mentor for future Washington farmers. A senior from Port Orchard, Wash., Hunsaker is a first-generation college student, who, like many WSU students, needed help funding her education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to be successful in college while constantly worrying about the price of supplies and keeping a roof over your head,\u201d says Hunsaker. \u201cReceiving the Bunny Quirk Scholarship has certainly been very helpful for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helping students like Haile is the reason Bunny decided to establish the scholarship. \u201cIt just brings me so much joy to help,\u201d Bunny says.<\/p>\n

But for Haile, a President\u2019s Honor Roll student, the scholar\u00adship hasn\u2019t just allowed her to focus on her studies. It\u2019s taught her what kind of educator and person she wants to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cLegacy giving is a way to show support for a cause or plat\u00adform that you really believe in,\u201d says Hunsaker. \u201cBunny Quirk believed strongly in the ideals of agriculture and giving back to the community. I\u2019ll be sure to carry on the spirit of her commitment to agriculture through my role in educating the next generation of students!\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

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CONNECT with CAHNRS<\/h2>\n

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