LEWISTON – Samantha Ricker, a 2008 graduate of Lewiston High School, is this year’s recipient of the Sun Journal Marc Blanchette Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded each year to an outstanding student who is planning to pursue a degree in English or journalism.

Marc Blanchette was a Sun Journal employee and aspiring writer who was killed by an intoxicated driver on Aug. 13, 1996, just a few weeks before he left for college. To be considered for the award, the recipient must be an outstanding person and a well rounded student.

Ricker is the daughter of Lisa and Terrence Ricker of Lewiston and will attend Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., this fall.