by Kimberly Rinker, for Harness Horsemen International

Chicago, IL — Shannon Lea Teed, 18, has been awarded the 2013 Harness Horsemen International $4,000 Jerome L. Hauck Scholarship.

Photo courtesy of HHI

Shannon Lea Teed

She is the daughter of Standardbred trainer David Teed and caretaker Linda (Dunn) Teed of West Alexander, Pa., who are both employed by The Meadows-based Bendis Stable.

Teed plans to attend West Liberty University in late August where she will pursue a four-year degree in biology. Her goal is to become a conservationist specializing in environmental and biological research.

This prospective scientist graduated from McGuffey High School in Claysville, Pa., in the spring of 2013, maintaining a 4.2 grade point average as a three-year member of the National Honor Society.

“The experience with animals and the environment I developed through the Harness Racing Youth League, Olgebay’s Junior Nature Camp, FFA and 4-H contributed to my decision (to pursue this career path),” Teed wrote in her scholarship application essay. “Also, the close relationship that I have with my mother, who is a groom at The Meadows Racetrack helped. She taught me to love animals and the environment, and instilled the value of hard work and dedication in me.”

Besides her academic accomplishments, Teed earned numerous awards for writing and speaking, with her ambitions focused on forestry, wildlife conservation, the environment and 4-H.

Teed was an 11-year member of 4-H, where she showed rabbits, horses and ducks, and served as the organization’s treasurer from 2009-2012. She was also a Meadows Racetrack volunteer for eight years; a seven-year member of Olgebay’s Junior Nature Camp; and a co-host of the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 blood drives.

In 2012, Teed served as a Future Farmers of America Chaplin and penned an award-winning feature for the American Quarter Horse Association Journal. This multi-talented young lady has also worked alongside her parents as a caretaker for the Bendis Stable since 2008.

Harness Horsemen International is delighted to present this scholarship to such a deserving candidate as Shannon Teed.