BLANCHESTER — Jacob Louis Lansing, son of Donna and Kevin Lansing of Midland, won the $10,000 Samsung American Legion Scholarship at Buckeye Boys State.
Jacob will be a senior at Blanchester High School. He was chosen to go to Buckeye Boys State by his teachers, counselors, and a Legion panel for his outstanding position academically, leadership, activity and community service. He is in the National Honor Society and he shows sheep and rabbits through FFA.
Jacob is a direct descendant of a Korean War veteran.
In 1995, the Samsung Electronics Group in South Korea wished to do something to express the gratitude of the South Korean people to the United States and the U.S. military personnel who fought to maintain the freedom of South Korea during the Korean War.
The Samsung Electronics Group selected the American Legion as the beneficiary of a gift because of the American Legion’s ongoing commitment and programs to educate young men and women; especially the American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State programs and the status of the American Legion as the world’s largest veterans’ organization.
From a national pool of approximately 98 candidates, 10 national finalists are chosen. Each national finalist receives a $10,000 scholarship and each national runner-up receives a $5,000 scholarship.
Since the inception of the Samsung American Legion Scholarship, only four young men from Ohio have been selected to receive it: 1997 — Eric Bucher of Navarre; 2003 — Brett Smith of New London; 2010 — Joshua Foerst of Streetsboro; and 2013 — Dallas DeBruin of Greenfield.
Participation in American Legion Buckeye Boys State is the only place and time in the state of Ohio a young man may apply for the Samsung American Legion Scholarship.
