Scholarship Recipients

2023 Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Every year the House of Gordon USA awards a minimum of three scholarships through our Charles O. Gordon Memorial Scholarship. These are awarded to help the young, and even the young at heart to further their studies in the Scottish Arts, including but not limited to: piping, highland drumming, highland dance, fiddle, heavy athletics, and Gaelic language study. It is my great pleasure to announce our three recipients for 2023!

Cohen Pritchard

Cohen is an 11-year-old drummer from Rutherfordton, NC. He started started his study of Scottish snare drum about two years ago, but is already impressing us with his skills. His first competition was at Stone Mountain Games October 2022 where he received Drummer of the Day, Grade 5 Snare 1st place. We’re awarding Cohen $500.

Mercedes Knoflicek

Merecedes is a 13-year-old highland dancer from Madison, WI. She started her journey to learn dance at age 10. Since the summer of 2021, Mercedes has been in 15 competitions. She’s received awards at the USIR Highland Dance Championship in 2022, the Frozen Fling Highland Dance Completion in 2022 and 2023, and at the Quad Cities Highland Dance Competition in 2023. We’re awarding Mercedes $500.

Molly Smith

Molly is a 20-year-old from Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Molly’s family runs the Brenda Gordon School of Dance in Aberdeenshire and she shared with us that she’s been dancing since she could walk. Her awards are Atlantic International Champion- Grandfather Mountain, and Grampian Games League Winner 2022-Braemar Gathering are a couple in 2022, she won over 50 trophies in 2022. She was 1st Runner up Scottish National Champion Cowal Highland Gathering in 2016 and 1st Runner up European Champion in 2017. We’re awarding Molly $500.

Thank you to all the fine applicants who applied, we wish you all the best in your endeavors and invite you to apply again next year!!!!