Bottomley wins Chamber award

Published 11:31 am Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Brett Bottomley, a recent Mercer Island High School (MIHS) graduate, was recognized at last month’s Chamber of Commerce luncheon as its scholarship recipient.

The Chamber has been giving out the scholarship for 23 years.

“It always goes to a student who plans a career in business and is involved in helping the community in some way,” said Chamber Director Terry Moreman.

The Chamber works with teachers in the DECA program to select a student they feel is deserving, Moreman said.

Bottomley was “an invaluable part of our Business and Marketing program for the past three years as both a leader in the classroom and in DECA,” said his teacher, Kristine van der Hoeven.

Bottomley served as Vice President of MIHS’s 200-member DECA chapter and captain of his varsity lacrosse team.

Both of these activities reach their pinnacle in early May, and Bottomley faced a challenge.

He had a lacrosse game at MIHS and the DECA International Competition in Orlando, Fla., on the same day.

So he booked a red-eye flight to Orlando after the lacrosse game ended.

“Brett’s decision to do it all paid off—the MIHS Varsity Lacrosse won the state title this past weekend for the first time in five years,” van der Hoeven said.

This fall, Bottomley will study at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass.