by Michaela Carpenter, Public Relations Writer
In 2013, Cedarville University committed to providing an annual full-tuition scholarship for one new student who has been in the foster care system and will pursue an undergraduate education. Freshman Drew Sims, a political science major from Gallipolis, Ohio, is the recipient this year.
Sims spent most of his childhood with his birth parents, but then alternated between living with his parents and grandparents until his sophomore year of high school. At that point he started attending Vinton Baptist Church and found community there through involvement with the youth group.
Sims began building a relationship with youth pastor Jamie Gruber and his wife, Robin, and he befriended their son and spent significant time with their family. During his senior year of high school, Sims moved in with the Gruber family due to difficult circumstances at home, and the church paid for him to attend a small private school nearby.
Cedarville University was the only school that Sims applied to, and while he qualified for scholarships, he needed additional aid to be able to attend in the fall. Sims spoke with the principal of his school, who contacted the financial aid department at Cedarville, which eventually directed him to the Foster Care Scholarship.
Although Sims was not living in a foster care home and was not a ward of the state, an exception was made due to his circumstances. He received a call from his admissions counselor, Lauren Wiebe, who invited him to speak with Cedarville’s president, Dr. Thomas White. Soon thereafter, he was selected to receive the Foster Care Scholarship.
Now a freshman at Cedarville University, Sims is thriving in an environment promoting both academic achievement and spiritual growth.
“When I look back and I see everything that happened in my childhood that may have caused sadness, I don’t think negatively about it anymore,” Sims said. “I believe that all things work for the good of me, and I see that because I love God and I know that he loves me and he’s proven himself faithful.”
In order to be considered for the Foster Care Scholarship, students typically must be in the custody of either a foster home or a ward of the state, meet all admissions requirements and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually.
More information can be found online at http://www.cedarville.edu/financialaid/Foster-Care-Scholarship.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
Sims spent most of his childhood with his birth parents, but then alternated between living with his parents and grandparents until his sophomore year of high school. At that point he started attending Vinton Baptist Church and found community there through involvement with the youth group.
Sims began building a relationship with youth pastor Jamie Gruber and his wife, Robin, and he befriended their son and spent significant time with their family. During his senior year of high school, Sims moved in with the Gruber family due to difficult circumstances at home, and the church paid for him to attend a small private school nearby.
Cedarville University was the only school that Sims applied to, and while he qualified for scholarships, he needed additional aid to be able to attend in the fall. Sims spoke with the principal of his school, who contacted the financial aid department at Cedarville, which eventually directed him to the Foster Care Scholarship.
Although Sims was not living in a foster care home and was not a ward of the state, an exception was made due to his circumstances. He received a call from his admissions counselor, Lauren Wiebe, who invited him to speak with Cedarville’s president, Dr. Thomas White. Soon thereafter, he was selected to receive the Foster Care Scholarship.
Now a freshman at Cedarville University, Sims is thriving in an environment promoting both academic achievement and spiritual growth.
“When I look back and I see everything that happened in my childhood that may have caused sadness, I don’t think negatively about it anymore,” Sims said. “I believe that all things work for the good of me, and I see that because I love God and I know that he loves me and he’s proven himself faithful.”
In order to be considered for the Foster Care Scholarship, students typically must be in the custody of either a foster home or a ward of the state, meet all admissions requirements and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually.
More information can be found online at http://www.cedarville.edu/financialaid/Foster-Care-Scholarship.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,711 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.