Annual Full-Tuition Scholarship Attracts Monumental Group, Winners to be Announced Soon

Eighteen students from across the nation, and beyond, traveled to Christendom College this past Monday, February 29, for the college’s sixth annual Padre Pio Full-Tuition Scholarship Competition, hosted by the college’s admissions office. Greeted by gorgeous Virginia weather and Christendom’s friendly community, the students engaged in healthy competition throughout the day, getting a taste of what life is like at Christendom in the process.

The eighteen young men and women who participated in the competition were chosen from a record-setting applicant pool, impressing the judges with their standardized test scores, GPAs, application essays, and their competition essay on the value of a liberal arts degree. When they arrived on campus on Monday, each participant engaged in a rigorous interview with the faculty panel, giving them a case for why they should be awarded one of the two available four-year, full-tuition scholarships to Christendom.

“We had a monumental group come to campus this year, with students traveling from as far as California and even Columbia for one reason: to compete for Christendom’s one-of-a-kind education. They had the opportunity to experience Christendom to the full, by engaging in classes that were customized just for them, hearing from the president and the admissions staff, meeting with the faculty, and touring our Shenandoah Valley campus. Our faculty panel has a difficult decision ahead of them in choosing only two winners of this year’s scholarship,” says director of admissions Sam Phillips.

Many of the participants were alumni of the college’s Experience Christendom Summer Program, returning to the campus they had fallen in love with for the first time since that one week.

In addition to classes from philosophy chair Dr. John Cuddeback and theology professor Dr. James DeFrancis, participants, and their families, heard presentations from college president Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, admission director Sam Phillips, vice president for enrollment Tom McFadden, and history professor Dr. Brendan McGuire, all laying out the many advantages of a Christendom education.

Following a catered lunch and a comprehensive tour of campus, the day concluded with an elegant dinner reception, featuring live, classical music, where the participants and their families were able to mingle with various faculty and staff members before heading home.

Each of the participants left Christendom with only positive things to say about the experience, praising the classes, the presentations, and the friendliness of the Christendom community. Over the next few weeks, the faculty panel will make their final decisions about this year’s winners, with a formal announcement expected to be made soon after.

Students who did not make it to the final eighteen are still eligible for several of Christendom’s other scholarship opportunities. For more information on these, please visit christendom.edu.