Newman University awarded its competitive Cardinal Newman Scholarship to nine successful high school seniors out of the 36 applicants.
The individuals were selected by a scholarship committee composed of Newman faculty and staff. Applicants must have at least a 3.85 cumulative high school GPA and a 29 composite ACT score to apply. The Cardinal Newman Scholarship is the most prestigious academic award at Newman, covering full tuition. This year, it is valued at $26,416. With annual renewal of the scholarship, the overall potential value of the award is more than $105,000. The scholarship replaces any previously awarded Newman academic scholarships. Recipients are also required to complete 32 hours of community service each semester. This year’s recipients come from a variety of schools.
Austin Rieth, a Pre-Veterinary Science major will be graduating from Springfield Catholic High School in Springfield, Mo. in May and will attend Newman in the fall.
“I was pretty shocked because I knew how competitive it was,” Rieth said. “Newman has a high acceptance rate to medical school and I’m getting the opportunity to run in Division II Collegiate Level NCAA and that’s really cool. Everything just kind of fell into place.”
Courtney Klaus will graduate from Mulvane High School in May and is another recipient of the scholarship. She said she is an undecided major, but is excited for the opportunity to receive an education without worrying about college debt. And, she believes Newman is a perfect fit. “I really like the values that Newman stands for and I like where it’s located. I think it’s a beautiful campus and it’s a really good place for me,” Klaus said.
JT Klaus, Courtney’s father and an alumni of Newman said he is very proud of his daughter’s accomplishments.
“It’s difficult to explain how proud I am of her as it relates to how well she’s done in school,” he said. “You start having these conversations in second grade. You tell them how important grades are and if you continue to work hard and focus you’ll be getting these opportunities. To see that actually happen is very, very exciting for me.”
Dakota Heard will graduate from Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City in May. He will attend Newman in the fall as a history major. He said he felt accomplished upon receiving the news of his scholarship.
“My face just lit up immediately,” he said. “I was so ecstatic. It felt like everything I worked toward in high school came to completion when I got that recognition. It lifted my whole day.”
Kaylee Redington will graduate from Bishop Carroll in May and said she has dreamed of attending Newman since her freshman year of college. She will be majoring in Nursing.
“It means everything to me,” she said. “It takes a load off of everything. I feel really lucky to have it. Newman is like a tiny little community and I get to be a part of it.”
Keelah Warden, a soon-to-be graduate of Maize High school said she started crying at work when she got the phone call. Warden is a Pre-med major with dreams of one day becoming a doctor.
“It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m really excited about it,” she said. “I have friends that go here who told me it was a good school. It’s all really exciting and it seems like Newman really cares about students and I like that.”
Sarah Schreiber also received the award. She will graduate from Kapaun Mount Carmel High School in May and will attend Newman in August as a biology major. She said she hopes to become a doctor in a pediatric unit one day.
“I was really excited because I knew Newman was a great school for what I wanted to do,” she said. “It was a great opportunity to get to go to college without having to worry about finances. It was a great honor and made me know all that hard work paid off.
Other Cardinal Newman Scholars include Amanda Becker from Bluestem High school in Leon, Emily Larkin from Maur Hill-Mount Academy in Atchison and Stephanie Ng from Andover Central High School in Andover.
