Five incoming first-year students have been named the 2026 St. Newman Scholars after interviewing and applying for Newman’s most competitive scholarship.
The St. Newman Scholarship offers full tuition and is awarded to five students per year. This year, the number of students who applied was the highest it’s been since 2022 with a total of 65 applicants, in comparison to only 40 in 2025.
After the St. Newman Scholarship interview days on Jan. 17 and 24, the final five were selected by a group of faculty judges.
“Most of the applicants are out of state, which is a shift from previous years, most likely a result of our ongoing efforts with direct admit platforms,” said Georgia Drewes, director of admissions.
This year’s five St. Newman Scholars include:
Sophie Eberle — Business Data Analytics
Eberle is from Texas and a CBYX (Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange) scholar with Russian and German roots. Eberle has studied across Europe and the United States, moderated for transatlantic political dialogues and interned in the German Bundestag.
“I came to understand early on that people from other countries are not so different. They simply carry different stories,” she said in her application essay.
Eberle said her goal at Newman is to build “diplomatic ties between nations which function like steel bridges,” blending her interests in politics, economics and ethical leadership.
“Newman provides the right educational environment because its programs teach students essential skills for both success and community service, while developing their moral strength,” she said. “I will utilize that educational background to support progress in technology and the economy and politics by promoting initiatives that serve the common good.”
Amelia Hogan — Biology (Pre-Physical Therapy)
Hogan is the only in-state Scholar this year, coming from Winfield, Kansas. She is currently shadowing at Advanced Physical Therapy in her hometown and hopes to improve quality of life through prevention and rehabilitation.
“I believe societal change starts with the average individual,” she wrote. “I aim to transform society by helping people’s ability to move.”
Hogan said Newman’s science curriculum and religious values will prepare her to become a compassionate and well-rounded physical therapist in the future.
“I want to empower people to understand their own health and work with people who may not necessarily have access to quality care,” she said. “I hope to be the type of person people go to for issues, struggles or anything bothering them.”
Vanessa Renteria Beltran — Elementary Education
Beltran is from Commerce City, Colorado and in her application essay, challenged the idea that one person alone can’t make a difference.
“To change the world, we must change within,” she wrote, “Education isn’t only through a book; it is through real-life experiences, stories and the lives of others who you can make a difference.”
Beltran described Newman as “the nurturing soil where I see myself flourishing,” pointing to its strong foundation in faith, service and community.
Xaviera Sykes — Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Sykes is from Bremerton, Washington, and cited Newman’s academics and Catholic community as key supports in forming her whole person — academically, professionally and spiritually.
“I hope that I can fulfill the purpose I was created for,” she said. “By becoming the most true, good version of myself, I hope that I can go through life helping and inspiring others to also be their best selves.”
She plans to do that through sonography.
“Diagnostic Medical Sonography aligns perfectly with a lifelong desire of mine to help mothers and children,” she said.
Madeleine Walter — Nursing
Walter is from Bellevue, Nebraska, and aspires to become a traveling nurse and missionary.
“To me, the mission of ‘empowering graduates to transform society’ means giving students the tools and opportunities they need to go into the world and make a difference,” she wrote in her application essay.
She hopes to combine medical care with ministry, serving both physical and spiritual needs. Walter said she looks forward to participating in honors opportunities, service projects and campus ministry as she prepares for a career dedicated to healing and faith.
“After hearing about how much of Newman is rooted in faith and developing deep relationships not just with classmates and professors but with God, it is clear to me that an atmosphere of love and acceptance is what I have to look forward to,” she said.
Scholarship information
Students who accept their offer by May 1 will be required to live on campus, complete 40 hours of service each semester and maintain a 3.00+ GPA while at Newman. Should a student decline the annually renewable full-tuition award, an alternate from the competition will be selected to receive the scholarship. All students who took part in the January interview days are eligible to receive a Monsignor McNeill scholarship worth $20,000 per year.
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