The Mike Winston Scholarship Fund is worthy of your donation
My name is Dustin Eaton, and I am writing on behalf of the Mike Winston Scholarship Fund. I have ties to Shelley on both my mother’s and father’s sides. On my mother’s side, my Grandparents, Dee and Alice Mansfield were long-term residents of Shelley until their passing. On my father’s side, Leland and Zelma Eaton were also long-term residents who resided in the Shelley area until their passing. I followed in my parent’s footsteps, as well as many extended family members, and attended Shelley schools for almost my entire elementary, Middleschool, Jr, and high school years, graduating in 1996.
After graduation, I had the opportunity to attend LDS Business College before departing to the New Zealand Wellington Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After returning, I returned to my studies. I graduated from LDS business college before moving to Los Angeles, California, where I spent the next 17 years finishing two bachelor’s degrees and three master’s degrees. In 2012, my wife and I were blessed with twins (a boy and a girl), and in 2016 we had our last child, a beautiful girl. In 2017, we moved to Highland, Utah, where we live today.
What is the Mike Winston scholarship fund?
The Mike Winston Scholarship fund is more than an average scholarship program. It is a program that has a personal link to many in Shelley and surrounding areas. The fund embodies a man who dedicated most of his life to improving the Shelley Educational system and its participants. The program is geared towards people who do more than excel academically but looks for individuals who have contributed meaningfully to the community they live – something Mike Winston has and continues to do today.
What was your most memorable interaction with MIke Winston?
As some background, I didn’t have a lot of direction at home concerning college choices or any real insight into the process. I also tended to hoover between multiple social groups in Junior High and High School, which created challenges around my future and left many judging me and my potential before getting to know me. Mr. Winston, however, saw past the surface and approached me on a field trip. He took the time to get to know me what I wanted to do with my future and made me feel my dreams or interest were attainable. This small but impactful interaction created an enthusiasm that led me to future interactions that provided me an opportunity to work on projects with the INEEL and has been a memory that I often ponder upon as I pursue my higher education.
Why should I donate to the Mike Winston scholarship fund?
The Mike Winston Scholarship fund is more than an average scholarship program. It is a program that has a personal link to many in Shelley and surrounding areas. The fund embodies a man who dedicated most of his life to improving the Shelley Educational system and its participants. The program is geared towards people who do more than excel academically but looks for individuals who have contributed meaningfully to the community they live – something Mike Winston has and continues to do today.
How did Mike Winston change your life?
My interaction with Mike Winston came when I was at a critical juncture of life, college was looming on the horizon, but my path forward could have taken many directions.
Mr. Winston made an impact on me from just a single interaction, and from that tiny spark and continued interactions with him, the creation of an almost insatiable desire to learn began. This desire has led me to obtain multiple Master’s Degrees, from religious history to compliance and ethics, as well as obtaining multiple certifications putting me into a position as a subject matter expert in multiple areas of discipline in the Financial Crimes industry.
How can someone help the Mike Winston Scholarship Fund?
Impactful interactions with Mr. Winston are not isolated to me alone. He did this over and over again, building confidence with those often overlooked, taking time to instill within someone the desire to learn. It is this legacy that stands apart from others that I commit to honoring in a small way.
I’m donating $1,000 today to the Mike Winston Scholarship Fund. I extend a challenge to others to match this donation, whether you were impacted personally or want to donate to a truly distinguished scholarship program. I challenge others to pay it forward and make this scholarship fund one that continues to bless other people’s lives in a way that pays homage to Mr. Winston’s spirit and legacy.
Dustin J. Eaton
