Introducing 2016-17 Founders Scholarship Winners

The King’s College is pleased to introduce and congratulate Blake Ashley, Annie Rogers, Rachel Williamson, and Graham McNally as winners of the 2016-17 Founders Scholarship competition. Each year, prospective students at The King’s College are invited to compete for one of four full-tuition scholarships by writing an essay in response to a prompt that encourages students to engage with the mission of The King’s College, and by traveling to the College to give a presentation based on their essays.

This year’s prompt asked contestants to research an institution or company in New York City with which they would like to intern during their time at King’s; to describe that institution’s contributions and influence on culture, business, or society in the city, the United States, or the world; and to explain their own personal goals for the future, how this internship would contribute to achieving those goals, and what their goals and internship of choice might have to do with the mission of King’s.

Blake Ashley is an Eagle Scout, private pilot, entrepreneur since his freshman year of high school, Toastmasters-certified Competent Communicator, and president of his school’s student council. He hails from Fredericksburg, Texas. He says he “wouldn’t dare major in anything but” Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) at King’s because he has tried to tell his friends that he wants to study how philosophy, psychology, and politics affect economics, but they have laughed at him and said that major didn’t exist. Happily, it not only exists but is the lodestone of the King’s curriculum. Blake believes the most overlooked virtue in modern Christianity is creativity, and centered his Founders essay and presentation on WeWork—a company that rents out beautiful, shared office spaces to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers and focuses on creating community among its clients.

Annie Rogers of Fishers, Indiana will join her older sister Elle (class of 2019) at King’s this fall and chose to focus her Founders entry on the Council on Foreign Relations, the nonpartisan membership organization that publishes the journal Foreign Affairs and equips its members and leaders in various fields of influence to “understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.” In particular, Annie respects the Council’s deference to history and nonpartisan approach, but also its leadership on society-shaping issues and its influence within history. She believes in the power of free enterprise to channel human creativity and feels compelled to uphold dignity and justice in areas damaged by international conflict. She hopes ultimately to equip victims of terrorism and genocide in the Middle East to start their own small businesses. Annie is a debater with the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA), a prominent homeschool speech and debate forum. She has participated in 4-H, Teen Court, and the National Honor Society throughout high school, and has won numerous competitions for showing and training horses. She also plans to study PPE.

Rachel Williamson comes to King’s from Advance, North Carolina, where she has spent her high school years competing with NCFCA and in piano competitions, playing varsity volleyball, and volunteering at Storehouse for Jesus, a nonprofit organization centered in Davie County offering a variety of services to people in need—including medical and personal care, household and childcare items, holiday festivities, legal advice, and evangelism. Rachel’s Founders entry discussed the John A. Hartford Foundation and its work to improve care for older adults, improving outcomes and lowering costs at the same time. She says her father’s work as a geriatrician put her in close contact with the elderly as a child and opened her eyes to how society tends to isolate aging adults from the mainstream of life and look the other way from the process of death and growing old. She sees this as an affront to the image of God, the commandment to honor our elders, and the call to care for “the least of these,” and hopes to give back to older generations through research and writing. An “aspiring journalist, teacher, and difference maker,” she plans to study Media, Culture, and the Arts (MCA) at King’s.

Graham McNally of York, Pennsylvania wrote and presented about Electric Lady Studios, a music facility founded by Jimi Hendrix in Greenwich Village that has recorded some of the most iconic artists of their times, including Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder, and more recently David Bowie and Adele. Not only is it one of the most enduring studios and successful studios in business, but it changed the very idea of the recording studio from place of technical production full of “engineers in crisp white shirts and pocket protectors” to an expressive, hospitable place for creativity. Graham has taught himself to play the guitar, bass guitar, piano, and drums, is the Student Body President of his high school, and serves on the chapel worship team. He sees music as a universal form of communication, its existence as evidence of God’s glory, and the desire to create it as a divine fingerprint on the human heart. He plans to study MCA. Graham also enjoys a family connection to The King’s College; his grandmother, Donna (Miller) Bentzel, graduated from King’s at Briarcliff Manor in 1960.

“At King’s, we look for intellectually serious students who care about integrating faith and work,” said president Gregory A. Thornbury, “and the Founders competition advances that goal in two ways. The prompt invites students to wrestle with the relevance of the College’s mission to their own lives, and the competition sets a tone for the entire class. Contestants get a glimpse of the academic community they will experience at King’s through each other’s presentations, often becoming lifelong friends. I could not be more delighted by the caliber and insights of this year’s winners. They are already setting a real example of thoughtful Christian engagement, winsomeness, and personal character for their peers, and Kimberly and I look forward to welcoming them in the fall.”