Matt Schekel Memorial Scholarship
The Matt Schekel Memorial Scholarship Fund was created early in 2002 by Marcia and Kurt Schekel in memory of their son Matthew. Seeds of Learning, with Matt’s family and friends, wishes to bestow this memorial scholarship on youth who have financial need and who exhibit compassion, kindness and a strong commitment to serve their global community as Seeds of Learning work group volunteers.
Matthew Schekel was born in Colorado in 1970. He grew up in Washington State. When he was in the second grade, a 7-year-old Vietnamese girl was added to his class after the start of the school year. She spoke no English. Matt befriended her. He introduced her to others and made sure she was not left alone on the playground.
This was the way Matt continued to live his life with kindness, openness and curiosity for the world. He was a reader, a big movie and TV fan, and a music lover. He had a great sense of humor and an open heart. He accepted all people and was especially interested in those who struggled in our society.
Matt died in 1998 when his bicycle and a truck met at an intersection in Portland, Oregon. He was 27 and a student at the Northwest Film School in Portland.
If Matt were here today, he would support Seeds of Learning programs enthusiastically. We would like to affirm his participation through this scholarship, enabling others to be as active as Matt might have been in building schools and relationships in Central America.