{"id":37564,"date":"2018-04-02T23:49:48","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T03:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=37564"},"modified":"2018-04-03T14:34:47","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T18:34:47","slug":"isaac-alderfer-hannah-leaman-and-allison-shelly-named-2018-yoder-scholars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/isaac-alderfer-hannah-leaman-and-allison-shelly-named-2018-yoder-scholars\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaac Alderfer, Hannah Leaman and Allison Shelly named 2018 Yoder Scholars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each year, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) engages in a rigorous process to select recipients for the prestigious Yoder Scholarships<\/a>. Established in 1993 and named for alumni Carol and Paul R. Yoder Jr., the scholarships cover full tuition and include admission into EMU\u2019s Honors Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This year, the Yoder Scholarships were awarded to Isaac Alderfer of Broadway, Virginia; Hannah Leaman of Bakersfield, California; and Allison Shelly of Collinsville, Mississippi. They were chosen from a field of 52 applicants who had an average SAT score of 1332, average ACT score of 31 and an average high school grade-point average of 4.06.<\/p>\n

The scholars interviewed during Honors Weekend in February. The EMU honors faculty conduct the Yoder Scholars competition, rigorously evaluating candidates\u2019 academic performance, community and extra-curricular involvement, creativity, clarity of thought, and leadership potential. Participation in the competition requires candidates to provide two response pieces, a substantial example of academic work with teacher feedback, a resume indicating school, church and civic involvement, two forms of reference, and an updated transcript.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are looking for high-caliber creative students with wide-ranging interests and strong leadership abilities,\u201d said history professor Mark Metzler Sawin<\/a>, director of the honors program<\/a> at EMU.<\/p>\n

The graduation rate for EMU honor students has been at 100 percent in recent years, with many completing more than one major. The students receive unique academic and co-curricular opportunities along with intensive mentoring from faculty.<\/p>\n

Isaac Alderfer<\/b><\/h3>\n

For Isaac Alderfer, international missions work is more than a long-term possibility. Earlier this school year, he traveled Kenya to work on a water filtering project at a school. The experience was part of a focus he has been researching (and is continuing to work on) at the Massanutten Regional Governor\u2019s School for Environmental Science and Integrated Technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not called to be only members of our local community, but also of the global community,\u201d he said \u2013 a perspective that is part of his draw to EMU, where the cross-cultural program \u201cdemonstrates these ideas and values.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alderfer is also drawn to EMU\u2019s focus on the \u201cwhole person,\u201d he said \u2013 and its core statement from Micah 6:8: \u201cWhat does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?\u201d<\/p>\n

This verse, he said, \u201cspeaks volumes about how EMU is committed to making a difference and addressing the big issues that need to be talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alderfer plans to major in environmental sustainability, and sees EMU\u2019s liberal arts community as a place to \u201cformulate a holistic education experience.\u201d That for him will include Spanish, art, engineering and photography courses.<\/p>\n

He also looks forward to continuing in track and cross country, to \u201cengaging my own spirituality at a higher level\u201d and to connecting to other students and his professors.<\/p>\n

Hannah Leaman<\/b><\/h3>\n

Hannah Leaman didn\u2019t think she\u2019d attend EMU \u2013 but when she started thinking seriously about colleges, she \u201crealized it had everything I was looking for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not her first mind change, as she decided to major in math education only after years of rejecting that career, which at one point she ranked as \u201cthe last thing I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, though, she said, \u201cI am so passionate about learning that it flows out of me in the form of teaching. I want everyone to love learning as much as I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaman\u2019s list of why she was drawn to EMU has continued to grow, she said. The campus is beautiful, small and easily maneuverable, for starters, but she is also eager for mentorship from professors and to experience the diversity and complexity among her peers.<\/p>\n

While she does not identify as Mennonite, Leaman said, she connects deeply with peacebuilding and service, and is drawn to EMU\u2019s emphasis on sustainability.<\/p>\n

And she\u2019s \u201cbeyond excited\u201d about joining a choir or vocal ensemble at EMU.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am extremely passionate about music,\u201d she said. \u201cI prioritize it to maintain a healthy mental state.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has more passions, too. At her church she helps to brainstorm sermon topics, organize events and lead music. She teaches during vacation Bible school, loves planting trees and beautifying neighborhoods, and has traveled to Mexico to help build a home.<\/p>\n

\u201cVolunteer work,\u201d she said, \u201copens my eyes to the perspectives I am fortunate not to experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allison Shelly<\/b><\/h3>\n

Allison Shelly knows one thing for sure: eventually she wants to work \u201cdirectly with people in some way,\u201d whether in education, social work, or something else.<\/p>\n

A liberal arts college is the right setting for her exploration of her many options, she reflected recently \u2013 and as she visited other colleges she came to appreciate EMU \u201cmore and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see EMU as a place that is going to open up new possibilities I haven\u2019t dreamed of yet,\u201d she said. \u201cI am especially drawn to the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and the authenticity of the people that make up EMU. As a person with a lot of questions, I also really appreciate how EMU seems to be a place that encourages and fosters curiosity both on a personal and global level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shelly has served her church with childcare, photography and music throughout high school, and has traveled to Zambia for five-weeks with Teen Missions International and to Peru to help with a youth camp.<\/p>\n

At EMU she hopes to become active with campus ministries, intramural athletics, student leadership and more, and is looking forward to studying photography and traveling for her cross-cultural.<\/p>\n

After graduating, she sees a variety of possibilities, from living in another country to \u201cworking in an at-risk school in Mississippi,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m optimistic,\u201d she said. \u201cUltimately I hope to end up in a place where I feel like I am serving God and others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each year, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) engages in a rigorous process to select recipients for the prestigious Yoder Scholarships. Established in 1993 and named for alumni Carol and Paul R. ... read more about Isaac Alderfer, Hannah Leaman and Allison Shelly named 2018 Yoder Scholars<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5725,7931,5185,5731,17562,5594,5643,5732,5597,5183,5733,14139,12507],"tags":[9331],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-37564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admissions","category-arts","category-campus-ministries","category-cross-country","category-digest","category-education","category-environmental-sustainability","category-indoor-track","category-liberal-arts","category-music","category-outdoor-track","category-student-profiles","category-vaca","tag-mark-metzler-sawin","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nIsaac Alderfer, Hannah Leaman and Allison Shelly named 2018 Yoder Scholars - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/isaac-alderfer-hannah-leaman-and-allison-shelly-named-2018-yoder-scholars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Isaac Alderfer, Hannah Leaman and Allison Shelly named 2018 Yoder Scholars - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Each year, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) engages in a rigorous process to select recipients for the prestigious Yoder Scholarships. 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