MANALAPAN,
NJ – July 1, 2014 – John McDermott, Jennifer Lauer and Maja Bown have been
selected to receive the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New
Jersey Scholarships for 2014.
Each
will receive $2,500 and will be honored in winner’s circle ceremonies at the
Meadowlands.
John
McDermott of Lyndhurst, NJ is the son of John and Nancy McDermott and was a
2013 SBOANJ Scholarship recipient. The Bergen County Academies graduate
recently completed his first year at the University of Florida in Gainesville
where he is pursuing a bachelors in science degree in business administration.
The
Dean’s List student has spent his summers grooming horses for his father’s
stable, has volunteered for the Harness Horse Youth Foundation and worked to
clean up fallen trees in Rockaway, NJ after Super Storm Sandy.
Jennifer
Lauer of Hightstown, NJ was a four-year honor roll student and captain of the
Hightstown swim team and is currently competing on the college level. The
daughter of trainer Bruce Lauer of Cranbury and horsemen’s bookkeeper Marie
Lauer of Hightstown has a twin sister named Stephanie.
Lauer
attends East Stroudsburg University which she has received the student athlete
award for her grades and participation in intercollegiate sports. Her
goal is to become a veterinarian and work with wild animals at Six Flags Wild
Safari Park.
Maja
Bown, a graduate of West Orange High School, will be attending the University
of New Hampshire in the fall. She plans to combine her interest in
science and nutrition with a major in dietetics.
Bown,
who has an older sister, Jessica, lost both of her parents in 2007. Horse
trainer John Bown passed away in January and his wife, Nancy, who also worked
with the stable, passed away in July. Donna and Jim Marshall stepped in
to help the girls through their difficult loss.
Maja
assists the Marshall Stable on weekends and summers.
“Being
close to the horses brings me great comfort,” she said.
All
three honorees will receive checks and plaques at an evening at the track this
summer.
Submitted
by Carol Hodes for the SBOANJ
