USHJA Announces 2024 Recipients of the $25,000 Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education

Lexington, Ky.—July 29, 2024—The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the $25,000 Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education as Karlie Dennis and Amber Ide. 

The scholarship was designed to encourage further education among equestrians, and recipients can use the funding for college, trade, or professional school. This year, the $25,000 scholarship will help two equestrians pursue their higher education goals.

Karlie Dennis, 17, of Cochranton, Pennsylvania, is attending Seton Hill University beginning this Fall, majoring in Sports Management with a concentration in Diversity and Inclusion for Minority Equestrian Athletes. After graduating, she plans to work with underrepresented minority athletes to promote diversity and inclusion in the sport. As an African American equestrian herself, she has experienced the barriers minorities can have to achieve goals in the sport and would like to remove those barriers to create a positive impact on the equestrian community.  

Dennis was a Varsity Open Rider for the Lake Effect IEA Team, a Youth Ambassador for The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive, and a Youth Volunteer for the Erie Hunt and Saddle Club. Through her school, she was actively involved as a National Honor Society member, the Senior Class Representative for the Student Council, a member of Future Farmers of America, and President of Buckles and Breeches 4-H Club. She is a proponent of continuing horsemanship education and is an active participant in USHJA programs including the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge, where she was a National Finalist for the past three years, and the MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program. 

In her spare time, Dennis is an active member of her community by volunteering for the Greenwood Fire and Rescue, Oasis Church, and Wreaths Across America. She is also a part-time working student at Fox Hollow Stables. When she starts college, she will be riding for the Division II Equestrian Team and plans to participate in the SHU Honors Program, Black Student Union, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and QUEENS.org. 

With the aid of this scholarship, it will not only help her through college but she will use this opportunity to give back to the Western Pennsylvania communities by creating mentorship opportunities for other athlete minorities. She would like to create partnerships between middle and high school athletes with college graduates who can help the younger generation navigate their sports and education futures. 

"I am honored to be chosen as a recipient of the $25,000 Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education," Dennis said. "This scholarship will allow me to continue my education and riding career this Fall at Seton Hill University where I will be studying Sports Management and riding on the NCAA Division II equestrian team. Thank you to USHJA, the Hamel Family, and my coach Alyssa Stevens of Fox Hollow Stables, who has always supported and encouraged me to chase my dreams. I hope that one day I will be able to 'pay it forward' to other minority riders as I continue my equine career."

Fulfilling her dreams of becoming a veterinarian, Amber Ide, 22, of Newport News, Virginia, will be attending the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine this Fall where she plans to specialize in Equine Medicine. With the aid of this scholarship, she will be able to alleviate some of the costs it takes to become an equine veterinarian, so that she may help others keep their horses in top shape. 

Ide has been actively involved in her school, community, and equine industry. Her academic accomplishments include being an undergraduate research assistant in equine behavior, and a member of the UC Davis Veterinarian Aide Club. In her free time, Ide enjoys volunteer work and giving back to the community as much as possible. Her community involvement includes volunteering for the Northern California Soccer Special Olympics; Save Them All Horse Rescue; University of California, Davis, Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital NICU center; and UC Davis Festival of the Trees Fundraiser. 

As an active competitor of the sport, Ide has been a competitor and Horse Care Captain for the UC Davis NCAA Division I Women's Equestrian Team, was part of the USEF Lettering Program in high school, and a participant in the MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program. She also volunteers as an English riding instructor at Therapeutic Riding and Off-Track Rehabilitation. While she was competing on the equestrian team, Ide received the 2022-2023 UC Davis Equestrian Workhorse Award for always going above and beyond to care for her team. 

"I am incredibly honored to have been chosen as a recipient of this scholarship. Kristen and James Hamel's remarkable generosity is truly a blessing. After four years at the University of California, Davis as an undergraduate, I’m weeks away from continuing my graduate education at the nation's top veterinary school," said Ide.

"Growing up as an equestrian ignited a passion for veterinary medicine, and stoked my desire to give back to the community that enriched my life in countless ways. My love for riding and caring for the amazing animals that make this sport possible led me to become a Division I student-athlete. I earned my bachelor's degree in animal science with an equine concentration, rode on the equestrian team, and received acceptance letters from four of the country's top schools of veterinary medicine," she continued. "I know these gentle giants will continue inspiring me during the next four years as I work toward becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and finally begin a practice focused on touching the lives of horses and their owners."

The Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education is made possible by the generous support and donation from the Kristen and James Hamel Family Foundation. The USHJA awards up to $25,000 each year to one or more USHJA members to use for college, graduate, trade, or professional school. Eligible candidates may apply for the Hamel Scholarship every year but may only be awarded the scholarship once. Applications for 2025 will open in January.

To learn more about the USHJA $25,000 Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education, visit ushja.org/hamel.

Photos: Avery Wallace/US Equestrian, Courtesy of Amber Ide