Dozens of high-achieving prospective students from across the U.S. and around the world gathered at Newman University earlier this year for its annual Special Scholarship Interview competition, an event that awards prestigious financial aid to top incoming first-year students.
The competition, held over two days, provides students the opportunity to earn several merit-based scholarships, including the coveted St. Newman Scholarship, which covers full tuition for up to five years.
“We do two identical days — one in January and one in February — and the second one is a little bit bigger attendance-wise,” said Georgia Drewes, senior associate director of admissions, who has organized the event for several years. “Students can come on campus and interview for a variety of different scholarships that require an in-person or Zoom interview. We even have students interviewing from Cameroon and Sweden.”
Each of the Special Scholarship Interview days began with an honors session featuring a “Reacting to the Past” game led by program director Kelly McFall, Ph.D., followed by a Q&A about the Honors Program.
Kelly Lotsu-Morgan
All students and their families then gathered for lunch, hearing from speakers like Vice President of Enrollment Michael Probus and current Newman student Kelly Lotsu-Morgan. The 2024 St. Newman scholarship recipient shared with the attendees that he pinches himself walking across campus, drawn by faith roots and standout professors.
After lunch, the afternoon becomes what Drewes calls a “make-your-own-adventure” experience.
“Students have their interview slots, but they can also meet with financial aid, go on a campus tour or just take the time to meet other students considering Newman,” Drewes explained.
Newman offers several prestigious scholarships through the competition. The St. Newman Scholarship, which is limited to five incoming first-year students annually, covers full tuition for up to five years and requires recipients to live on-campus. Runners-up receive the Monsignor McNeil scholarship, worth $20,000 per year. Other opportunities include the ASC Service Award, presented by the university’s sponsors — the Adorers of the Blood of Christ — and Honors Program scholarships.
“Students who apply for St. Newman, but don’t get it, get the Monsignor McNeil Scholarship (as runners-up),” Drewes explained, noting every applicant walks away with some financial aid.
A rigorous but supportive interview process
While students are competing for major scholarships, the interview process is designed to be engaging rather than intimidating. The interviews typically last 20-30 minutes and are conducted by faculty members and current scholarship recipients.
“I always think students believe it’s going to be a more in-depth interview than it is,” Drewes said. “Sometimes they envision themselves being grilled by a panel of 10 faculty, like they’re defending a dissertation, but it’s just a conversation. It’s a get-to-know-you session.”
The questions range from academic goals to hobbies, designed to reveal what makes each student unique. After the interviews, selection committees review applications, resumés and interview notes using a scoring rubric before making final decisions.
Students should learn the committee’s decisions before spring break.
“We’ve committed to telling students either via mail or phone — or both — by March 14,” Drewes said.
Opportunity beyond borders
The university has embraced technology to extend opportunities beyond geographic boundaries.
“We have students interviewing from all over the world on Zoom,” Drewes said, mentioning a student speaker who interviewed from Ghana last year.
Drewes encourages future students not to count themselves out of the competition.
“I think some students don’t even apply because they assume there’s no way they could ever get one of the five full-tuition scholarships,” she said. “But some of the best people I’ve interviewed got them because they’re fun to talk to and they have good grades and we want them here, they’re a good fit.”
The presidential perspective
Newman University President Kathleen Jagger, Ph.D., MPH, personally attends the Special Scholarship Interview days, engaging with students and their families.
“It’s fun for me as president to see and meet with the students that are interested in Newman,” Jagger said. “What is it that attracts them (to Newman)? How can we do a better job of serving them?”
Jagger encounters students from diverse backgrounds with unique challenges.
“Today, I had a student at my table who was 16. He’s young for starting college. And so he had different kinds of questions and challenges,” she said. “Sometimes I’ve sat at a table where very few of the family members speak English. And so you’re meeting students and you’re appreciating the environment that they’re in, that they’re coming from.”
She finds their diversity inspiring and notes that it helps the university consider new ways to support students and their families.
Jagger also observes what makes students anxious about the process.
“The ones that I asked today, they were anxious about the written essay more than they were the interview,” she said. “Maybe they don’t write as much as they used to in college or high school.”
Her reassurance to applicants is simple: “We’re going to like you no matter what you say or write.”
A logistical challenge
Behind the scenes, organizing the event is “one giant puzzle,” according to Drewes. With students needing to complete interviews, essays and some participating remotely, coordination is essential.
“I feel like I put off scheduling interviews because it’s complicated, but it works,” Drewes admitted.
The event requires support from 25-30 faculty, staff and student volunteers who dedicate their Saturday to help make it run smoothly.
For Jagger, the event is more than just a scholarship competition — it’s a reflection of Newman’s commitment to investing in students who will shape the university’s future.
“I very distinctly remember the day when Gabe Trevino (a current Newman student) was here for this. And I met him at his table and his family and his parents, and he has this personality. It’s bigger than life. I was never gonna forget this kid,” she recalled. “But I’ve also met some very quiet students, and they sometimes timidly talk about what their dreams and ambitions are.
“I recognize how privileged we are at Newman University to be able to support and influence these students’ lives going forward,” Jagger concluded. “It kind of fires me up about how lucky we are to be doing the work that we’re doing with these students.”
For those who participated in the interview competition — whether in Wichita or via webcam — it marks the start of a transformative journey. For Newman, it’s a chance to build community, one student at a time.
