AMANDA WILLIAMS AWARDED BARNES SCHOLARSHIP

By Julia Williams

Amanda Williams was awarded the 2017 James E. and Mary H. Barnes Scholarship of $5,000 given annually to a deserving high school student who is a member of Trinity. Amanda is a 2017 graduate of Golden High School in Golden and has been selected as a full-time student at Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, where she plans to pursue a degree in civil engineering. With Amanda’s permission I quote her: “I have chosen civil engineering because of my experiences with a Trinity Youth Mission Trip to Guatemala. It created a passion and a vision within me to serve others with love and understanding. I might not have come to that conclusion about service if it were not for the time I spent in Guatemala.” While attending university she desires to participate in “Engineers Without Borders,” which sends engineering students to developing countries to build water filtration systems and other necessities like bridges. After university she would like to serve with the Peace Corps to continue to help others around the world.

During her high school years she participated in various projects, clubs and organizations which included “Senior Seminar,” a program for seniors to visit different religious institutions to interact with those in attendance; “Link Leader,” a program at her high school which challenged juniors and seniors to mentor freshmen; the “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards,” a full-scholarship camp which taught high school students team building, leadership and confidence skills; and the “Mentor Program,” which enabled her to mentor a blind student who taught her how to read braille. Her time with him made her realize she should never determine her opinion of someone based on a disability.

The Barnes Scholarship was created in 2009 by the Pioneer Fund, a private foundation funded by the late Helen McLoraine, a former member of Trinity, a community philanthropist and a close friend of
Reverend and Mrs. Barnes. The scholarship was established to honor their lives and ministries at Trinity.

The application process for the annual scholarship recipient considers essay questions about the applicant’s chosen field of study, grade point average, test scores, recommendations, honors and awards in high school, church activities and how the scholarship will benefit the recipient.

Congratulations, Amanda, and God’s richest blessings from your Trinity family!