Saccomanno awarded Erik Bruhjell Scholarship

Bonner County Democrats’ Erik Bruhjell Scholarship winner, and 2020 Sandpoint High School graduate, Sage Saccomanno, plans to attend Bard College in Annandale-on-the-Hudson, New York, with the hopes of becoming an environmental lawyer working internationally.

“Sage has a reputation for throwing herself into everything she does,” says Maggie Mjelde, Democrats’ scholarship chair, who awarded the scholarship this spring. “She is an outstanding young woman and we are proud to play even a small part in her future education,” said Mjelde.

Sage has a 4.604 weighted GPA and was ranked first in her class, but was unable to vie for valedictorian or salutatorian because she spent her entire junior year in Todi, Italy on a Rotary Club Youth Exchange. Upon her return to the U.S., she dedicated herself to school — half at Sandpoint High School and half online at North Idaho College.

She served as class president her freshman and sophomore years along with being photo and copy editor for the yearbook, Monticola. For the past four

years, Sage was selected to be a part of a curated team of student leaders

trained throughout the year for Count Me In Global Student Leadership Summit held annually in Toronto, Ontario, the world’s largest youth-led event of its kind, as a Catalyst Leader and peer-to-peer mentor.

As Miss Teen and Miss Junior, Sage represented our community and Bonner County Fairgrounds and Rodeo throughout the Northwest. At 15, she competed at the state level against all 19-year-olds for Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho winning the speech category.

Sage’s hobbies include kayaking, paddle boarding, back-country skiing, and horseback riding.

Sage is the daughter of Kari and Clay Saccomanno and the sister of Kendall Saccomanno, all Sandpoint High graduates.

Bonner County Democrats’ scholarship was named in memory of local teen Erik Bruhjell who was tragically killed on his way home from work on July 20, 2018.

A Sandpoint High and Gonzaga graduate with a B.S. in environmental science, Erik was very involved with the Democrats, and was a board member of the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force.

Mjelde, says “I remember how cheerful and happy he was. Erik would light up a room. He was such an intelligent, accomplished young man; and a fun person to be around. Those of us who knew him are better because of him.”