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American Traffic Safety Services Association
FOUNDATION
NEWS
Brionna Lizotte Says Foundation Scholarship is Like
‘Pennies from Heaven’
Brionna “Bri” Lizotte, who received The Foundation’s Roadway
Worker Memorial Scholarship, entered her freshman year at Truman
State University in Missouri this September. The 18 year old from
Camdenton, Mo. is majoring in justice systems with the goal to be a
victim advocate when she graduates. The career she’s chosen requires
compassion, knowledge of the court system and a desire to support
victims of crime who are living through a nightmare. It also calls for
providing victims with emotional support, strategizing their safety
plans and, in the worst-case scenarios, assisting with funeral
arrangements.
The experiences in Lizotte’s young life make her the perfect candidate
to help others through a traumatic time in their lives. In 2001, when she
was just three years old, Lizotte’s father, Gerald, was tragically killed
while transporting materials from a worksite for his job with the
Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) when he was hit by
a vehicle. Only a toddler when he passed away, she didn’t know how
she was supposed to answer questions about her father, explain why her
family wasn’t like that of the other children and understand the
complexity of the accident. It was the unknown that haunted her the
most.
“At that age, I couldn’t understand what my father’s death meant,” said
Lizotte. “I was too young to even stay awake through the whole funeral
because it cut into my normal naptime schedule. I wish I had just one
memory of him, but all I have are the memories I’ve formed from the
stories I grew up hearing. It’s very hard to look at a picture and know
the man in it is my father but be unable to think of a memory that’s
unique to the person staring back at me.”
When she was nearing the end of high school and preparing for college,
it was Vicki McElwaine, MoDOT executive assistant, who told her
about The Foundation’s Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship.
“It’s so important for the spouses and children of our nation’s roadway
workers to know they have the support of the roadway safety industry,
including the departments of transportation, in helping them when
there are tragedies,” said McElwaine. “MoDOT wanted to make sure
Brionna knew about The Foundation’s scholarship program and the
financial aid available to her. She’s deserving of the scholarship and its
benefits in reaching her goals.”
McElwaine said she and the staff try to go the extra mile and provide
scholarship information to dependents of roadway workers who contact
MoDOT. She said receiving a scholarship often means the world to
them and, possibly, the difference between attending college or not.
Lizotte said she can only hope she’s doing what her father would’ve
wanted her to do.
“This scholarship helps to answer that question,” she said “While he
can’t be here to support me in person, I’ll always know that he’s never
truly left me. I believe the scholarship is like ‘pennies from heaven’ and
his way of reassuring me he hasn’t left.”
Between attending classes and studying, Lizotte finds time to volunteer
at Citizens Against Domestic Violence, a domestic violence shelter. She
spends time with children while their mothers attend group therapy and
has become a friend and mentor, giving them a sense of safety. For
children who stay at the shelter, it’s a comfort to them to know Lizotte
is there every Tuesday and sometimes during special occasions.
Lizotte was on the board of directors as student advisor for the Lake of
the Ozarks Stop Human Trafficking Coalition before she moved to
college. Like most teenagers, she likes to spend time with her friends,
even involving them in her volunteer activities.
“I’ll be forever grateful to The Foundation for allowing others like
myself to be reassured there’s still someone here to look out for us even
though the parent no longer is,” she said.
Brionna Lizotte, who attends
Truman State University in Missouri,
received a 2016 Foundation
Roadway Worker Memorial
Scholarship. Lizotte’s father was
killed while transporting materials
from a worksite for his job with the
Missouri Department of
Transportation when he was hit by a
vehicle.
Gerald and Joyce Lizotte dote on
their baby girl, Brionna, at home
in Missouri.
Two-year-old Brionna Lizotte has
big shoes to fill. She makes her
way around the family living room
in a pair of her dad’s work boots.
“It’s so important for the spouses and children of our
nation’s roadway workers to know they have the
support of the roadway safety industry, including the
departments of transportation, in helping them when
there are tragedies,” said Vickie McElwaine, MoDOT
executive assistant.