Storm Lake graduate Grace Kenkel earns P.E.O. scholarship for college

Grace Kenkel is taking a $1,500 boost from Storm Lake’s P.E.O. chapters into her next step at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota. The Storm Lake High School graduate plans to major in early elementary education and continue her basketball career.

Kenkel was named the 2026 P.E.O. Scholarship recipient during the Storm Lake Dollars for Scholars award ceremony in May. She is the daughter of Nathan and Michelle Kenkel, and her selection adds another local scholarship to the mix of aid that helps Buena Vista County students bridge the cost of college.

P.E.O. is part of a much larger educational network. The organization was founded on Jan. 21, 1869, by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and says it has supported women’s education through scholarships, grants, awards, loans and stewardship of Cottey College. P.E.O. International says its philanthropies have provided nearly $432 million to more than 125,000 women.

The Storm Lake award also fits a local pattern. Another Storm Lake High School graduate, Jennifer Guitterez, received the same $1,500 P.E.O. scholarship in 2025. Storm Lake Dollars for Scholars, the local chapter of Scholarship America, is run by local, non-salaried adult and high school volunteers, and its 2026 scholarship application period was closed by the time Kenkel was announced.

Kenkel’s own application pointed to the classroom she hopes to enter. She credited her late grandmother, a teacher, with inspiring her to pursue education and said she wants to be a mentor and role model for future students.

Her resume at Storm Lake High School showed a student already rooted in the school and wider community. Kenkel participated in basketball, volleyball, track and field and softball, belonged to Fellowship of Christian Athletes, sang in the student choir and served as a student council representative. She also stayed active in church activities, helped with youth basketball and volleyball camps, and worked as a student aide at Early Elementary School in Storm Lake.

Her next stop is a competitive one. Dakota Wesleyan University’s Spring Scholarship Day on Feb. 20 drew 27 high school seniors competing for its most prestigious scholarships, underscoring how important each piece of financial aid can be as she prepares for college in Mitchell.