The Carlin Nalley Foundation is proud to announce that Lisle High School senior Sydney Buchelt has been awarded the 2025 Grutzmacher Family Alumni Legacy Award: Outstanding Achievement and Service by a Descendant of a Lisle Graduate Scholarship, a $4,500 award presented during the Senior Recognition Night on May 7, 2025.
This prestigious scholarship recognizes Sydney’s achievements and leadership potential. We are confident she will continue to represent the Lisle community with distinction in her next chapter.
We asked Sydney for her thoughtful responses to the following questions:
CNF: Following graduation, what are your educational plans—where do you intend to enroll, and what will be your major field of study?
SB: I am excited to be attending Illinois State University in the fall to study Elementary Education and possibly pursuing a special education or childhood education minor. I hope to student teach at the Lisle Elementary School with my past teachers and high school track coach so I can learn from the very people who inspired me to become an educator. Following college, I would love to teach abroad in a developing country where I could not only share my instruction but also learn about the local culture from my students. I also hope to finally complete a 1000-piece puzzle on my own.
CNF: Which teachers or staff members at Lisle High School had the most significant impact on you, and what made them so influential?
SB: One of the teachers who has had a significant impact on me was my english teacher, Mr. Woyna. He was always willing to work with me in and out of class to correct mistakes, something I didn’t know I appreciated so deeply until he did it without question. Once senior year hit, he was helping me with my college and scholarship essays every single day in study hall even though I didn’t even have him as a teacher. I can’t thank him enough for the time and effort he has given me that has not only helped me receive financial aid but become a better writer as well. As a future educator, I hope to take his passion and creativity into my own teaching and inspire my students in the same way he’s inspired me.
CNF: What is your best memory of your time at Lisle High School?
SB: One of my favorite memories at my time at Lisle High School was going to the Track State Competition. When I joined the team my sophomore year, I didn’t expect to find a family. Each personal and team accomplishment within each season, such as placing 1st out of 20 in the 800 at one of the meets, receiving All-Conference for the 4x800 and 4x400, and being back-to-back Conference Champs, seemed to be the building blocks to finally qualifying for State my last year. I couldn’t be more thankful to share this final high school experience with my best friend. Since she’s a year younger than me, this was one of the last high school events we’ll experience together, and that made it even more meaningful.
CNF: Finally, please express to the alumni what winning the award means to you and how it will assist you in accomplishing your goals. Alumni have contributed over $300,000 to the CNF scholarship program in the last 20 years. We want to relay your gratitude for their support.
SB: I want to again express my gratitude to the Carlin Nalley Foundation for selecting me as this year’s recipient for the Grutzmacher Family Alumni Legacy Award. I cannot be more thankful for your time, effort, and consideration. I am honored to receive this prestigious award which will help alleviate part of my college expenses and allow me to focus on my education and becoming the best teacher I can be.
The Grutzmacher Family Legacy Scholarship is one of ten scholarships the Foundation awarded this year, made possible through the generosity of our donors and partners, many of whom are proud Lisle High School alumni. Their commitment to giving back helps ensure that outstanding students like Sydney have the support they need to pursue higher education and their professional dreams.
Over the past twenty years, the Carlin Nalley Foundation has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to deserving Lisle High School graduates. This lasting impact reflects a shared belief in the value of education, community, and opportunity.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who makes these scholarships possible—and we invite you to join us in continuing this mission. Please consider supporting the Carlin Nalley Foundation, so we can sustain and grow these life-changing opportunities for the next generation of Lisle graduates.
Thank you,
The Carlin Nalley Foundation board of directors
This prestigious scholarship recognizes Sydney’s achievements and leadership potential. We are confident she will continue to represent the Lisle community with distinction in her next chapter.
We asked Sydney for her thoughtful responses to the following questions:
CNF: Following graduation, what are your educational plans—where do you intend to enroll, and what will be your major field of study?
SB: I am excited to be attending Illinois State University in the fall to study Elementary Education and possibly pursuing a special education or childhood education minor. I hope to student teach at the Lisle Elementary School with my past teachers and high school track coach so I can learn from the very people who inspired me to become an educator. Following college, I would love to teach abroad in a developing country where I could not only share my instruction but also learn about the local culture from my students. I also hope to finally complete a 1000-piece puzzle on my own.
CNF: Which teachers or staff members at Lisle High School had the most significant impact on you, and what made them so influential?
SB: One of the teachers who has had a significant impact on me was my english teacher, Mr. Woyna. He was always willing to work with me in and out of class to correct mistakes, something I didn’t know I appreciated so deeply until he did it without question. Once senior year hit, he was helping me with my college and scholarship essays every single day in study hall even though I didn’t even have him as a teacher. I can’t thank him enough for the time and effort he has given me that has not only helped me receive financial aid but become a better writer as well. As a future educator, I hope to take his passion and creativity into my own teaching and inspire my students in the same way he’s inspired me.
CNF: What is your best memory of your time at Lisle High School?
SB: One of my favorite memories at my time at Lisle High School was going to the Track State Competition. When I joined the team my sophomore year, I didn’t expect to find a family. Each personal and team accomplishment within each season, such as placing 1st out of 20 in the 800 at one of the meets, receiving All-Conference for the 4x800 and 4x400, and being back-to-back Conference Champs, seemed to be the building blocks to finally qualifying for State my last year. I couldn’t be more thankful to share this final high school experience with my best friend. Since she’s a year younger than me, this was one of the last high school events we’ll experience together, and that made it even more meaningful.
CNF: Finally, please express to the alumni what winning the award means to you and how it will assist you in accomplishing your goals. Alumni have contributed over $300,000 to the CNF scholarship program in the last 20 years. We want to relay your gratitude for their support.
SB: I want to again express my gratitude to the Carlin Nalley Foundation for selecting me as this year’s recipient for the Grutzmacher Family Alumni Legacy Award. I cannot be more thankful for your time, effort, and consideration. I am honored to receive this prestigious award which will help alleviate part of my college expenses and allow me to focus on my education and becoming the best teacher I can be.
The Grutzmacher Family Legacy Scholarship is one of ten scholarships the Foundation awarded this year, made possible through the generosity of our donors and partners, many of whom are proud Lisle High School alumni. Their commitment to giving back helps ensure that outstanding students like Sydney have the support they need to pursue higher education and their professional dreams.
Over the past twenty years, the Carlin Nalley Foundation has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to deserving Lisle High School graduates. This lasting impact reflects a shared belief in the value of education, community, and opportunity.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who makes these scholarships possible—and we invite you to join us in continuing this mission. Please consider supporting the Carlin Nalley Foundation, so we can sustain and grow these life-changing opportunities for the next generation of Lisle graduates.
Thank you,
The Carlin Nalley Foundation board of directors
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