Introducing the 2017-18 Founders Scholarship Winners

Each year, prospective students of The King’s College are invited to compete for one of four full-tuition scholarships.

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The King’s College is pleased to introduce and congratulate Calvin Blake, Brigitta Naugle, Graham Popadic, and Aisha Seay as winners of the 2017-18 Founders Scholarship competition. Each year, prospective students of The King’s College are invited to compete for one of four full-tuition scholarships. Each contestant prepares a 1200-1500 word essay in response to a prompt that engages with the mission of The King’s College, and then travels to the College to deliver a 4-5 minute presentation based on his or her essay.

This year’s prompt asked students to research an institution or company in New York City with which they would like to intern during their time at King’s and to describe that institution’s contributions and influence on culture, business, or society in the City, the United States, or the world. Students were also tasked with explaining their personal goals and demonstrating how this internship would further their goals while aligning with the mission of King’s.

Calvin Blake of Dallas, Texas researched and presented on Writers House, a New-York based literary agency. Writers House has served bestselling authors including John Green, Neil Gaiman, and Rachel Kushner and was one of the first agencies to train its staff to edit, a skill now required across the industry. Calvin hopes not only to intern at Writers House, but eventually to become a literary agent after graduating with a degree in English. He argues that an agent’s task of recognizing and cultivating talent has direct influence on “what is and is not published and read.” As a literary agent, he hopes to shape society from a biblical perspective, serving the larger aims of King’s. Calvin says, “The Author of life made it a point to have His Words written down as a means of instructing, interpreting, inspiring, warning, and comforting. As His image bearers, we too use writing to reach our culture and our world.” Calvin is the son of missionaries and spent some of his teen years in China.

Brigitta Naugle hails from Ashburn, Va. but calls many places home, having moved more than four times throughout high school. For the past six years, Brigitta has studied Mandarin Chinese with hopes of making the world “a more just and peaceful place” through a career in foreign relations between the United States and China. Brigitta anticipates China playing a large role on the international stage in the coming years and says that “the​ ​future​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world​ ​rests​ ​in​ ​U.S.-China​ ​relations.” Last summer, Brigitta traveled to China with the U.S. State Department’s National Security​ ​Language​ ​Initiative​ ​for​ ​Youth. She spent six weeks in the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu,​ China living with a host family and attending immersion classes. Brigitta envisions herself interning at the Asia Society, a nonprofit that seeks to promote better understanding and cooperation between Americans and Asians through arts, education, policy, and business. “Achieving​ ​mutually​ ​beneficial​ ​policies​ ​. . . ​may​ ​seem​ ​too​ ​idyllic​ ​since the​ ​U.S.​ ​represents​ ​the​ ​West​ ​and​ ​China​ ​the​ ​East,​ ​but​ ​our​ ​God​ ​is​ ​a​ ​God​ ​who​ ​destroys​ ​barriers (Ephesians​ ​2:14),” Brigitta writes. She plans to major in politics, philosophy, and economics.

Graham Popadic of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. is a talented theater performer who plans to study business management at King’s. In his essay and presentation, Graham shared his admiration for Serino Coyne, a full-service advertising and marketing agency founded in 1977 that represents numerous Broadway clients. Serino Coyne helped to bring Disney’s Beauty and the Beast to Broadway, ushering in a new era of family-friendly entertainment in the Theater District, Graham says. “Serino Coyne’s advertisement and presentation strategies were instrumental in bringing all types of audiences to New York. . . Today, some of the most successful shows are family-oriented.” Graham also shares some history with King’s: his grandmother, Nancy Merritt Brix, attended The King’s College at Briarcliff Manor and graduated with an A.A. in nursing in 1965. Through the preparation offered at King’s, Graham hopes to work at the intersection of arts and business. He says, “My desire is to position myself within a company as a light to all those I encounter so I can leave a legacy of God’s illumination for generations to come.”

Aisha Seay is a photographer who formed her own business, Bold Photography, while in middle school. As she broadened her client base in her hometown of Austin, Texas and beyond, Aisha became interested in studying finance. She ultimately hopes to earn an MBA so that she promote financial literacy for others. “My goal is to use my interest in wealth management to help minorities break the poverty cycle and manage their finances in a way that ensures generational wealth,” Aisha says. Her dream is to intern at Morgan Stanley while at King’s. Aisha appreciates Morgan Stanley’s contributions to international business as well as its commitment to children’s health and other charitable causes. Aisha hopes to carry out the King’s vision of culture shaping through both a career in financial services and in her volunteer efforts.

“The Founders Scholarship brings together the best prospective students from around the world,” said Noah Hunter, director of Admissions at The King’s College. “The full-tuition scholarship entices students who are committed to attending King’s and are willing to put in the tough work of engaging and communicating ideas that shape the world.”


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