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12.02.05 Semifinalists and their parents enter the Daniel•Moultrie Science Center. Erskine welcomes E.B. Kennedy semifinalists Erskine College welcomed more than 150 E.B. Kennedy Scholarship semifinalists and their parents Friday. The high school students, who traveled to the campus from hometowns in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Vermont, are competing for the two most prestigious scholarships offered at the college. They will be interviewed Friday and Saturday by panels made up of high school guidance counselors, Erskine faculty and staff members, and Erskine alumni. Twenty-four of the students will be chosen as finalists, and will return in January for additional interviews, and two winners will be announced later. The E.B. Kennedy Scholarships, two full scholarships given in honor of beloved Erskine alumnus, teacher and respected minister Dr. E.B. Kennedy, are awarded to high school seniors demonstrating leadership and service in their communities, churches and schools. E.B. Kennedy Scholars are selected on the basis of Christian commitment, scholastic achievement, vigorous outlook and leadership potential. The value of each scholarship, over four years, exceeds $95,000, Director of Admissions Bart Walker said. During their two-day visit to the Due West campus, semifinalists heard presentations by college officials and attended a Friday luncheon and a faculty fair. The students and their parents were given tours of the campus, and entertainment for students was scheduled for Friday evening. Speakers at Friday's luncheon included former E.B. Kennedy Scholar Angela Merriman Bain of Mauldin, a member of the Class of 1998; Crosland Stuart, director of the E.B. Kennedy Scholarship program; current E.B. Kennedy Scholar Lindsay Hunt, a senior from Mooresville, N.C.; and Erskine Student Government Association President Mackay Smith, a senior from Gastonia, N.C. Bain, who was celebrating her first wedding anniversary Friday, said she was glad to be back at Erskine. Once she had visited the college, she said, she knew that regardless of whether she won the scholarship, Erskine was where she wanted to be. She cited statistics related to the current semifinalists' academic, extracurricular and service achievements and joked that she wasn't sure "whether it would have turned out so well" if she had been competing with them. Stuart spoke of the inspiration she has drawn from the life of her ancestor, Dr. E.B. Kennedy, whose academic expertise included knowledge of at least five languages, and whose faith and family commitments made him "a man of virtue." She said as students learn more about the E.B. Kennedy Scholarships and the man for whom the scholarships are named, they will have a greater sense of the worth of the awards, which "goes beyond a tuition check." Hunt told the students she was so nervous as she "sat where you're sitting" that she could hardly eat her lunch. As the accomplishments of her fellow semifinalists were outlined, she said, "I felt so small." She said she has experienced growth in many areas while at Erskine, and has "learned to rely on God alone." Smith, who recently spent a semester in Scotland and conducted his campaign for SGA president by video during his time abroad, said Erskine has been "a hundred percent of my life while I've been here." He said he has "learned how to learn" and made friends that he expects to keep all his life. He said he appreciates Erskine's high academic standards. "There's no such thing as an easy class here," he said. E.B. Kennedy Scholar Megan Ferguson, a freshman from Gastonia, N.C., welcomed the students and parents, and junior Rebekah Turbeville of Charlotte, N.C., also an E.B. Kennedy Scholar, served as announcer during the luncheon. Brief remarks by Charlene Haynes, registrar of Erskine College, an invocation by Chaplain Paul Patrick, and a performance by the Erskine Chamber Singers were also part of the luncheon program. Other current E.B. Kennedy Scholars introduced were Jennifer Boyd, Patrick Martin, Jimmy Turner, Rocky Cole and Virginia Suarez. |
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