The Office of Financial Aid for Studies received this letter before Christmas from a National Presbyterian College Scholarship recipient:

Sarah Dewyngaert

I want to thank your scholarship committee so much for granting me financial assistance for the 2008-2009 school year. Without this help there is no possible way I could afford my education at Presbyterian College. I have just completed my first semester as a freshman at PC in Clinton, South Carolina, and it has already been an amazing experience for which I am very grateful.

My intended major is Christian Education, with the plans of being a youth minister or working with children in some way. I realize that PC can offer me many opportunities that a large university never could. My favorite part of Presbyterian College’s unique curriculum is the big brother/big sister program with Thornwell Home for Children, which is across the street from our campus. I have a six year old “little sister” who has recently been released for adoption by her mother. I am obligated to spend at least an hour a week with my child, but that is usually not enough time for me. With all the stress of school work, getting to be with little Kiara is often the highlight of my week. I feel like this is one of the most important things I have ever done, to be a mentor to a young orphaned girl. This experience is truly helping develop my skills and desire to work with children in the church after I graduate.

Two other big sisters at the carnival. Photo courtesy of Sarah Dewyngaeart

The small, intimate size of PC has truly become a blessing to me. I have already grown strong relationships with my professors, as well as the other students at Presbyterian College. With a student size of right around twelve hundred, it is impossible to not know everyone’s name, or recognize each face. Even the strong friendships with upperclassmen that I have developed have helped me in numerous ways, including guidance on classes and professors, studying techniques, and excellent advice on surviving in college. At a large school, it is very rare for classes to mesh and be close friends, but at PC, it is nothing out of the ordinary.

Another wonderful aspect of Presbyterian College is the Presbyterian Church’s relationship with the school.

Montreat has always been the most wonderful place in the world to me, and I never dreamed I would be going to a college where about 50% of its students are fellow “Montreaters.” I love the fact that First Presbyterian Church of Clinton is in walking distance of my dorm, and their congregation is made up of a large number of PC students every Sunday. My sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, is based on friendship, truth, and Christian womanhood, and we are presented with a devotional every Tuesday at the beginning of chapter. We also have a weekly ADPi Bible study led by our sorority chaplain, and often attend the campus worship service together.

Another girl from my sorority and I. Photo courtesy of Sarah Dewyngaeart

Presbyterian College has offered me many opportunities to grow in leadership, which I hope to use in the church in the future. PC has given me the opportunity to study Christian Education in a faith based setting, which will give me a head start in the church after graduation.

Without scholarship help I could not afford to study at Presbyterian College, which is one of the few schools in the south that offer Christian Education as a major. I am immensely grateful for your assistance with my education, and would like for you all to know how much I truly appreciate your help. I would never have been as happy at any other college, and I will probably never be able to express how truly thankful I am for this opportunity. Thank you again for helping me attend Presbyterian College.

Sincerely,
Sarah Dewyngaert

Sarah Dewyngaert is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida, and a student at Presbyterian College majoring in Christian Education.