Eastern Mennonite University has announced the 2021 Yoder Scholars and Webb Scholars. The scholarships cover full tuition and include admission into EMU’s Honors Program.
The Yoder Scholars program was founded in 1992 by Carol and Paul R. Yoder Jr., both graduates of 1963, with a gift of $1.2 million. [Read more about their reluctance for a spotlight and long legacy of philanthropy when named as 2011 Philanthropists of the Year by the Fundraising Professionals of America, Shenandoah chapter.]
The Webb Scholars program honors Ada Webb, one of the first African-American students to attend the university, and Margaret (Peggy) Webb who was the first African-American graduate in 1954.
Incoming first-years compete for the award at Honors Weekend. This year’s application included a 400-word written response to the Angela Davis quote, “We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.” Applicants were also challenged to create a conceptual response by communicating anything they wanted through the medium of a blank 3×5 card.
Honors faculty make their selections based on academic performance, community and extracurricular involvement, creativity, clarity of thought, and leadership potential.
Read about the 2021 Yoder and Webb Scholars: Ruth Abera, Mana Acosta, Adesola Johnson, and Evan Kauffman.
Ruth Abera
Ruth Abera, who was born in Ethiopia and now lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, said the COVID-19 pandemic inspired her to pursue a career in public health. She has declared a major in biochemistry.
“I want to work with communities and countries that do not have the best health care system,” Abera said.
Her recent accomplishments include receiving Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s 2021 Public Service Award, and being inducted into the National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, and National Science Society.
Abera has founded multiple community organizations, including the Student Ambassadors, through which she introduces new students from Ethiopia and Eritrea to her school; and the Body Positive Alliance, a nonprofit that offers a safe space for people to discuss inclusivity, positive body image, and recovery from eating disorders.
She is also involved with many other organizations, ranging from the Chemistry Club to the Minority Scholars Program to Rising Stars, which offers tutoring and other support for students who are learning English. She plans to join the Royal Ambassadors at EMU.
Her hobbies include social justice advocacy, cooking, taking long walks, and learning American Sign Language.
Currently, Abera is an intern with the National Institute for Peer Support, working on the Montgomery County (MOCO) Green New Deal.
This specific Green New Deal aims to address social injustice and climate change in the county, “including racism, classism and other forms of oppression, the connection of the [climate] emergency to the broader social justice crisis in MOCO, and the broad social change and specific policies needed to resolve these twin emergencies,” Abera said.
Mana Acosta
Mana Acosta, who hails from Salem, Oregon, said she was attracted to EMU “because when I visited it felt like a place that would take care of me and support me.”
“That was really important to me since I was interested in going somewhere away from home,” Acosta said.
She is considering majoring in either engineering or nursing. Her hobbies include reading, playing board games with her siblings, hiking, and camping – much like the Shenandoah Valley, her home state has “lots of forests nearby that are fun to explore!”
Acosta plans to play soccer for the Royals once arriving on campus. She’s played for her high school’s varsity team as well as three different club teams. Acosta has also competed in regional math competitions – her team won first place in 2019 – and played saxophone in the band, marching band, and wind ensemble.
Her recent accomplishments include being named an AP Scholar with Honor and earning a dual language diploma. Acosta has also received a number of recognitions in band, including an Excellence Blue Ribbon Award from the National Band Association in 2020.
Acosta is spending the summer working at Drift Creek Camp, a Mennonite camp on the coast of Oregon, where she has volunteered since 2015. She has also worked in food service and as a nanny for a four-year old. In 2020, she organized a Red Cross Blood Drive that collected 27 units of blood.
Adesola Johnson
Adesola Johnson is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and now lives in Dallas, Texas. She has chosen to study biochemistry at EMU on the pre-med track.
Johnson aspires to be a “prominent African neurosurgeon” and to create a foundation to increase opportunities for young girls in Nigeria. She first became interested in neurosurgery when she was nine years old, after watching a movie about Dr. Ben Carson.
“I was inspired by his story and it made me feel I could aspire to do great things, even as a child,” she said.
Johnson’s recent accomplishments include receiving a certificate of achievement from the Junior World Affairs Council Club in 2020. She is also a member of the Lake Highlands High School National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society.
Johnson is the president of her school’s chapter of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). The group has participated in several HOSA bowl competitions: Jeopardy-style contests in which Johnson and her team answered questions about medical terms and procedures. These competitions were some of her favorite moments in high school.
“HOSA definitely gave me a chance to meet people who shared the same goals with me and I enjoyed the friendship that came with being in an organization of people with shared interests,” Johnson said.
While in high school, she volunteered at blood drives, her local library, and at the organizations Buckner International and Feed My Starving Children. She also founded a Korean Club at her school.
“I watched a lot of Korean movies as a child and I wanted to learn more about the culture and language,” she explained. “The club eventually grew to have about 45 members and a dance team by the time I graduated.”
Evan Kauffman
Evan Kauffman is from Bellefontaine, Ohio, about 50 miles northwest of Columbus. He’s looking forward to the milder winters of Virginia, the “beautiful outdoors,” and EMU’s “diverse and inclusive culture.”
Kauffman has declared a major in biology on the pre-med track.
His recent accomplishments include being named Bellefontaine High School Senior of the Month in December, and being named as a College Board National Rural and Small Town Scholar and a National Merit Scholarship Commended Student.
He has participated in cross country and track, math and robotics competitions, and a variety of bands and ensembles on the alto saxophone – which he plans to continue playing in the Jazz Band at EMU.
Last year, Kauffman was a Smithsonian Digital Volunteer and a citizen archivist with the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, transcribing historical documents. One of his favorite tasks has been working with longhand cursive documents from the Freedmen’s Bureau, the federal agency that provided aid to formerly enslaved people after the Civil War.
“Reading them can be difficult and time-consuming, so my task is to transcribe the cursive to text so future researchers and the American public can better process these primary sources,” he said.
His hobbies include cooking, running and amateur radio. His great grandfather inspired several in his family to take up ham radio operation.
Kauffman said his favorite part “is reaching distant locations. Using just 100 watts and a wire antenna in our attic, I have made contact with places such as Japan, Russia, and South Africa. There is so much to learn and experience, and I enjoy developing new skills.”