Cindy Mesenbrink

Education Scholarship

Soroptimist International of the Olympic Rain Forest is pleased to announce another new scholarship, now available for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The Cindy Mesenbrink Education Scholarship is for graduates of Quillayute Valley School District or Quileute Tribal School who are now in their third or fourth year of college working toward a teaching degree in K-12 education.

This $1,000 scholarship is made possible by an anonymous donor who seeks to promote the love of teaching and guiding children through their early education that was shown by Forks teacher Cindy Mesenbrink before she retired.

As the oldest of seven children, Cindy always knew she wanted to be a teacher. In her youth, she babysat her younger siblings and other kids in the neighborhood and went on to work as a Girl Scout camp counselor during the summers throughout high school and college.

After graduating from Western Washington University in 1971, she got her first teaching job in Forks and has been here ever since, teaching kindergarten and first grade until she retired in 2008.

If you were lucky enough to be one of Cindy’s students, you experienced her expertise in early childhood education and passion for teaching, learning & creativity.

As an educator, she was a lifelong learner, focused on what was best for students and continued to learn new techniques even as she neared retirement. Throughout her tenure at Forks Elementary School, she was a valued leader, mentor and thinking partner to her colleagues.

Beyond the classroom, Cindy has always been and remains an active member of the community and gives her fullest to every organization she joins. In Forks, she has volunteered in many capacities— leading Girl Scout troops, working at St. Anne’s Church, volunteering countless hours to the American Cancer Society, and chairing Relay for Life. She is currently an active member of Soroptimists International of the Olympic Rain Forest and can often be found volunteering at their thrift shop. In her spare time, she enjoys quilting, camping, and hanging out with her grandsons.

It is the spirit of Cindy’s love for children and teaching that this scholarship seeks to promote in future K-12 teachers. If you would like to help increase the amount of this scholarship, donations can be made to the Cindy Mesenbrink Education Scholarship Fund to be managed by SIORF. Checks should be made out to SIORF with a note added to indicate it is a donation for the Mesenbrink Education Scholarship and can be mailed to SIORF, P.O. Box 502, Forks, WA, 98331.