One of the most meaningful things we get to do each year is recognize local students through the Spread The Love Forward Scholarship.
This scholarship was created to support graduating seniors in Racine (Zach's Hometown) who are working toward their next chapter while also making a positive difference in the lives of the people around them.
This year, we’re proud to recognize five students from Case, Horlick, and Park High Schools: Winter Newell, Paul Fronjian-Friso, Addison Hoff, Nathaniel Foster and Anthony Rodriguez.
As we read through this year’s applications, what stood out most wasn’t just what these students had accomplished in school. It was the way they talked about their families, friends, classmates, and communities. Each of them shared examples of how they try to help others, show kindness, and make people feel supported. Those everyday actions are exactly what the Spread The Love Forward Scholarship is meant to celebrate.
Meet the 2026 Spread The Love Forward Scholarship Winners
WINTER NEWELL
Horlick High School
Winter Newell plans to pursue business, marketing, and the arts, with the goal of building a career that combines entrepreneurship, media, and meaningful community impact. Throughout high school, she has taken on leadership roles in theatre, student government, and DECA, while also founding Count Me In: Choosing Courage Over Silence, an initiative focused on creating more inclusive and welcoming communities.
Winter created Count Me In during a time when she was experiencing bullying and low self-esteem. Through the initiative, she now encourages others to practice kindness, allyship, authenticity, and courage, including leading workshops with younger students about exclusion and empathy.
“To me, ‘spreading the love forward’ means creating welcoming and inclusive environments where people feel empowered to be their authentic selves.”
Paul Fronjian-Friso
Horlick High School
Paul Fronjian-Friso plans to attend UW-Madison to study kinesiology, with the goal of pursuing a career in sports medicine or physical therapy and working with athletes. As a longtime student-athlete and captain of Horlick’s varsity soccer team. Paul understands firsthand the impact that trainers, doctors, and physical therapists can have.
We’re proud to include Paul among this year’s scholarship recipients and look forward to seeing where his next chapter takes him.
In his essay, Paul shared that spreading the love forward is:
"...more about day to day interactions versus big displays of love.”
It's a mindset he hopes to carry into his future career by treating others with compassion and understanding.
Addison Hoff
Horlick High School
Addison Hoff plans to study psychology and eventually become a child psychiatrist. Her passion for working with children began in eighth grade and continued throughout high school through volunteering at Emaus Lutheran Church and its summer camp programs.
Her commitment to helping children and making a positive impact made her a standout scholarship recipient this year.
“To me, spreading the love forward means so much more than just doing nice things every once in a while. It means making kindness part of your identity and personality.”
Nathaniel Foster
Case High School
Nathaniel Foster is a graduating senior from Case High School and one of this year’s Spread The Love Forward Scholarship recipients. He was an overall outstanding student with involvement in sports and his community. In his application, Nathaniel wrote about the importance of being there for the people around him and understanding that kindness doesn’t always have to come in the form of a big gesture.
ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ
Park High School
Anthony Rodriguez is a graduating senior from Park High School and one of our 2026 Spread The Love Forward Scholarship recipients.
Anthony’s application highlighted his drive to continue learning, growing, and building a better future for himself while remaining connected to the people around him. We were especially impressed by the sense of purpose that came through in his story and the way he views his future as an opportunity not only to succeed personally, but also to give back.
We’re happy to support Anthony as he takes this next step and begins working toward his future goals.
Why This Scholarship Matters to Us
Every year, reading scholarship applications is a reminder that there are so many young people doing good things in their communities that often go unnoticed. Students are balancing school, work, sports, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, friendships, and plans for the future, and many of them are still finding time to help someone else along the way.
That is exactly what we want the Spread The Love Forward Scholarship to recognize.
For us, spreading the love has never meant making some grand gesture. It can be helping a classmate who is struggling, checking in on a friend, supporting your family, volunteering your time, or simply being the person who makes someone else feel welcome. Those moments may seem small, but they add up.
Winter, Paul, Addison, Nathaniel and Anthony each demonstrated that spirit in their own way, and we are incredibly proud to recognize them as our 2026 scholarship recipients.
Congratulations to these five exceptional students, and thank you to the teachers, counselors, families, coaches, mentors, and friends who have supported them along the way. We’re excited to see what comes next for each of you, and we hope you continue spreading the love wherever you go.
Every purchase from Spread The Love helps us continue supporting meaningful initiatives like the Spread The Love Forward Scholarship. With over $30,000 scholarships awarded over the years, we are incredibly grateful to our customers for helping us invest in students, education, and the next generation of leaders in our communities.
Want to meet last year’s recipients? Read about our 2025 Spread The Love Forward Scholarship recipients and learn more about the students we were proud to support.
