Four high school seniors who have committed to attend Southwestern College in the fall of 2022 have been awarded full-tuition scholarships.  They are Faith Fondoble, Ellis; Avery Riedel, Augusta; Matthew Pryce, Wellington; and MaKaylin Kuchar, South Haven.

“We welcome these four along with the rest of the incoming Class of 2026 to our Builder family with great joy and anticipation,” said interim president Tony Crouch. “We had a wonderfully talented pool of competitors vying for these scholarships and we are thrilled that so many of those who participated in the scholarship competitions are planning to make Southwestern their home for the next four years.”

The Pillars Scholarship, a merit-based award that recognizes two students who demonstrate outstanding academic abilities, will provide full-tuition support to Fondoble and Riedel. The Moundbuilder Spirit Scholarship recognizes two student leaders who are well-rounded, hardworking, and community-minded. The Moundbuilder Spirit Scholarship will provide full-tuition support to Pryce and Kuchar. Each of the scholarships is renewable for four years and valued at approximately $150,000.

	Faith Fondoble is the daughter of Matt and Sharona Fondoble and attends Ellis Jr./Sr. High School.  She plans to major in marine biology and participate in soccer and theatre.
	Avery Riedel is the daughter of Mandy Riedel, Scott Riedel, Kyle Baker, and Luci Riedel and attends Augusta High School.  She plans to major in secondary education (math) and participate in volleyball, jazz band, Leadership and Student Foundation.
	Matthew Pryce is the son of Sharon and Kevin Pryce and attends Wellington High School.  He plans to major in chemistry and participate in discipleship.
	MaKaylin Kuchar is the daughter of David and Jami Kuchar and attends South Haven High School.  She plans to major in psychology and is interested in band, choir, and Worship Outreach.

According to Stephannie DeLong, associate vice president for admission, the college received a record number of applications for both scholarship competitions.

“With over 200 applicants from all over the United States, we were excited to see so many accomplished students apply for both the Pillars and Moundbuilder Spirit competitions,” DeLong says.   “The finalists invited to compete on campus demonstrated their leadership and academic excellence in essays and interviews and exemplify the heart of true Builders.  We are honored to welcome so many wonderful students to our campus this fall.”

Southwestern's competitive full-tuition scholarship program began in 2016. As the number of students applying for admission to Southwestern has grown, the number applying to compete for the full-tuition competition has also increased. Since the beginning, the full-tuition program has attracted a talented and diverse group of students to apply. Each year a large proportion of the students who compete for the full-tuition awards, but are not selected as the recipients, choose to come to Southwestern.