Rebekah Ballast, a 2022 graduate of Oskaloosa, KS High School, was ready to see another part of the world and thought she would attend college out of state until she visited McPherson College. Ballast competed in one of the five Presidential Scholarship days at the college and was selected to receive a full-tuition scholarship.
“I was apprehensive at first because it was not what I had in mind,” she said about the college. “After I visited campus, I could actually see myself there and I was able to meet faculty and sit in on a class and was very encouraged.”
Ballast will major in theatre and plans to participate in the choir when she joins the campus this fall. She was selected from a field of 107 high school seniors to receive the four-year renewable, full-tuition scholarship awarded to one student each year. Students who apply to McPherson College and qualify academically are eligible to compete in the Presidential Scholarship program. Award packages, combined with Merit Scholarships, range from $12,000-$22,000 per year for first-time freshmen based on their high school academic record, round table discussion, personal interview, and cognitive ability test.
Even before receiving the scholarship, Ballast said McPherson College was among her top choices. She applied to 13 schools in five states and was accepted to nine schools. After visiting two out of state, she determined they would not be affordable.
“The Presidential Scholarship day was a great experience and reinforced my decision to attend McPherson College. It was really cool to meet the staff and visit with current students to hear about their college experiences,” Ballast said. “It was unbelievable when I found out I had gotten the scholarship. I was still a little away from comfortably affording college but would have made it work, so the scholarship takes that pressure off of me and my family.”
Ballast has been active in community theater, as well as theater opportunities with her church and at school, and she is looking forward to learning more about every facet of the theater.
“I’m looking forward to being immersed in all aspects of theater at McPherson College and working with other students who are passionate about theater,” she said. “I met assistant professor Jen Pollard on my visit. I loved her excitement. She was the kind of person I envisioned working with at college.”