Peyton Callanan of Georgia Southern University
The winner of the 2012 Jon Conyers Memorial Scholarship is Peyton Callanan, a Walk-Trot-Canter (W-T-C) rider from Georgia Southern University. Her coach, Eleanor Ellis, supported her nomination with this moving recommendation: “Sometimes as coaches we instruct riders. Sometimes we get the privilege of teaching and encouraging horsemen and horsewomen. Peyton Callanan is a horsewoman in the making. She does not get to attend every show. Since she has to pay her own entries, she has to be careful with expenses and with three jobs it is sometimes tough to get time off. Yet she is willing to give up her slot if someone else is close to qualifying or just wants to show badly. At first glance it would seem she is not very dedicated. In reality, she is just a nice girl. I am fortunate to have such a young lady on my team.” The Jon Conyers Memorial Scholarship was established to honor an extraordinary teacher, judge and coach and is available annually to an undergraduate competing member of IHSA, who receives $1,500 from the Intercollegiate Equestrian Foundation.
