By Peter Abbarno
For the C-C Chamber of Commerce
In communities like Centralia and Chehalis, we understand something that can be easy to overlook: the most meaningful investments are not always measured in dollars. They are measured in lives changed, values carried forward, and legacies that endure.
That is what the Cheyllyn Collinsworth Memorial Scholarship represents.
Created by Althauser Rayan Abbarno, the scholarship honors the life of Cheyllyn Collinsworth, a Centralia High School senior, top student, and aspiring teacher whose life was tragically cut short in 2017. She had just been recognized among the top students in her class at the Rob Fuller Scholarship Luncheon, surrounded by peers, mentors, her family, and a community celebrating her promise and future.
Like so many tragedies, her loss left questions that can never truly be answered. But what followed says everything about the kind of community we strive to be.
Instead of allowing grief to be the final chapter, her Mother Deborah Collinsworth and her family chose something else. They chose to allow Althauser Rayan Abbarno to help create something lasting. Something meaningful. Something that would ensure Cheyllyn’s passion for education and service would continue long after her passing.
At first glance, a scholarship might seem simple. It helps a student pay for tuition, books, or expenses tied to college. And that matters. But the Cheyllyn Collinsworth Memorial Scholarship is about much more than financial support.
It is about carrying forward a life’s purpose.
Each year, a graduating senior receives this scholarship and steps into the next chapter of their life with not only support, but with responsibility. They are not just recipients. They are part of a story. A continuation of the values Cheyllyn lived; kindness, dedication, and a desire to make a difference.
She wanted to become a teacher. She wanted to give back. She believed in education as a way to strengthen her community. Through this scholarship, that vision does not disappear. It grows.
There is something especially powerful about investing in future educators. Teachers shape more than academic outcomes—they shape confidence, character, and opportunity. One teacher can influence hundreds of students over the course of a career. And each of those students carries something forward.
That is how a legacy expands.
A single life continues to impact others, not just once, but again and again, in ways that cannot be fully measured. In that sense, this scholarship is not just about helping one student each year. It is about strengthening classrooms, supporting families, and investing in the future of the entire community.
It is also a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable loss, something meaningful can still be built. Not to replace what was lost because that is impossible, but to honor it in a way that brings purpose and hope to others.
Every year, when a student stands to receive this scholarship from Cheyllyn’s mother, there is a quiet but powerful message being shared: your community believes in you. Your future matters. And you are now part of something bigger than yourself.
Scholarships like this are often described as charitable giving. But that description feels incomplete.
They are promises.
Promises that a life will be remembered.
Promises that values will not be forgotten.
Promises that the next generation will carry forward what matters most.
The Cheyllyn Collinsworth Memorial Scholarship is more than a check or an award. It is a living legacy. A reminder that while a life may be tragically shortened, its impact does not have to be. And in that way, Cheyllyn Collinsworth is still teaching, still inspiring, and still making a difference; one student, one classroom, and one future at a time.
Rep. Peter Abbarno,
Peter Abbarno, Attorney and Partner at Althauser Rayan Abbarno, and State Representative in the 20th Legislative District.
