Jamboree 2017: Utah Genealogist Receives Youth Award

FROM:  Suzanne Winsor Freeman Grant Committee,
Denise May Levenick, Chair

swfgrant@gmail.com | www.theFamilyCurator.com

Utah Genealogist Receives Youth Award

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant Committee is pleased to announce that Mindy Jacox, a young genealogist from Kaysville, Utah is the 2017 recipient of the Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant and Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree Scholarship.

Mindy will be introduced and presented with the award at the Saturday evening conference banquet. She receives $500 from the Freeman Memorial Grant program and 3-day registration to the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank, California from SCGS. This is the seventh year that the Freeman Student Genealogy Grant Program and SCGS have partnered to offer a student genealogy award.

“We are delighted to recognize young genealogists with the grant program and encourage their future in family history,” noted Denise Levenick, Grant Chair. “The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant is presented in recognition of a young genealogist who is outstanding not only in her own genealogical endeavors, but also as a teacher and trainer for family historians at every skill level.

Suzanne Winsor Freeman
Genealogy Grant recipient
Mindy Jacox

Mindy Jacox is a recent graduate of the Family History program at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with an emphasis in Germanic research and computer science. She is currently employed as a Data Analyst at FamilySearch in Salt Lake City and is Co-Director for the BYU myFamilyHistory Youth Camp.

“I love that my job combines family history research with advancing technology,” Mindy says.  “It's amazing to see how technology is accelerating family history research and I enjoy supporting these automated systems with training data.”

Mindy’s job with the myFamilyHistory Youth Camp gives her the opportunity to share her knowledge with a new generation of family historians. “There is nothing better than watching the excitement as they discover that family history research is fun and exciting!” she adds.

Mindy plans to use the $500 cash grant funds toward learning more about DNA research, attending the Jamboree DNA Day and purchasing DNA kits to put her knowledge to use.

About the Grant Program: The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Genealogy Grant Program was established in 2011 to help young family historians pursue their genealogy research and educational goals. In recognition of Suzanne Freeman’s enthusiasm for the nationally recognized Jamboree, the award is directed toward a student attending the SCGS Jamboree. Suzanne Winsor Freeman was the mother of genealogy blogger Denise Levenick, www.theFamilyCurator.com. For information about donating to the grant fund, please see SWF Grant.

About SCGS: The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree has partnered with the grant program each year to offer complimentary conference registration to the award recipient. The annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is an innovative leader in genealogy conferences offering webinars, live-streamed sessions, student registration rates, beginner education, and the DNA Day.

Jamboree 2016: Southern California Genealogist Receives Youth Award

Melanie Frick, MLIS, is the 2016 recipient of the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant and Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree Scholarship.  Melanie was introduced at the SCGS Scholarship Breakfast Sunday, June 5th 2016, sponsored by Legacy Tree Genealogists, Professional Genealogists and Research Services, and presented with the $500 cash award and recognition certificate. The grant program was founded in 2011 by family and friends to honor the volunteerism and family history interests of the late Suzanne Winsor Freeman.

Melanie Frick, an Iowa native with deep Midwestern roots, is a 20-something young genealogist who has already spent over fifteen years researching her family history. At the age of twelve, Melanie inherited an early 20^th century diary written by her great-great-aunt, a South Dakota prairie schoolteacher. She was fascinated by the stories of “barn dances, schoolhouse shenanigans, family gatherings, and the spread of Influenza in her rural community.” Melanie continues to unravel the stories of her ancestors in her popular blog, Homestead Genealogy  (https://homesteadgenealogy.com).

Melanie pursued her interest in history and research by earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from Iowa State University, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science with a Certificate in Special Collections from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Currently Melanie serves on the board and is content coordinator of the NextGen Genealogy Network, an organization dedicated to connecting ad empowering young genealogists around the world. She also editor of the APG eNews and volunteers as proofreader of the NGS Magazine.

“We are delighted to recognize young genealogists with the grant program and encourage their future in family history,” noted Denise Levenick, Grant Chair. “This year, in the absence of qualified applicants for the student award, the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant is presented in recognition of a young genealogist who is outstanding not only in her own genealogical endeavors, but also as an advocate for other young genealogists.”

This is the sixth year that the Freeman Student Genealogy Grant Program and SCGS have partnered to offer a student genealogy award. The Scholarship Breakfast featured speaker was Paul Woodbury, 2014 recipient of the Genealogy Grant who is now Outreach Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists.

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Genealogy Grant Program was established in 2011 to help young family historians pursue their genealogy research and educational goals. In recognition of Suzanne Freeman’s enthusiasm for the nationally recognized Jamboree, the award is directed toward a student attending the SCGS Jamboree. Suzanne Winsor Freeman was the mother of genealogy blogger Denise Levenick, www.theFamilyCurator.com. For information about donating to the grant fund, please see SWF Grant.

The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree has partnered with the grant program each year to offer complimentary conference registration to the award recipient. The annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is an innovative leader in genealogy conferences offering webinars, live-streamed sessions, student registration rates, beginner education, and the DNA Day.

LegacyTree Genealogists, sponsor of the Scholarship Breakfast, is a leader in genealogical and DNA research services with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah and trained researchers around the globe.