
Every day, students are focused on grabbing coffee before class, running to meet friends, or cramming in an extra study session. Amid this hustle and bustle are a particular group of bright minds and future leaders: the Alfond Scholars.
The Alfond Scholars Program offers students not only a scholarship covering tuition, room, and board fees, but academic opportunities and unique experiences. The scholarships are funded by profits from the Alfond Inn and are renewable for three additional years. “Alfond Scholars [will] join an exceptional group of Rollins students who are mentored as candidates for intellectual academic recognition and other prestigious awards,” Rollins states. Along with acceptance comes certain standards that each scholar is expected to uphold.
“We expect them to maintain a minimum of 3.3 GPA, participate in the Honors Program, study abroad, maintain good academic and Honor Council community standards, and we ask that they seek leadership roles on campus,” said Raghabendra KC, PhD., professsor and Alfond & Honors Program Director.
Arising from the initial application is the Scholars Weekend event, typically held in late January to early February. Scholars Weekend is an opportunity for prospective Alfond Scholars to be interviewed and see what they can bring to campus. After the interviews, results are added up to determine which potential students the scholarships will be extended to. They go through the interview process and are evaluated on different criteria like global awareness, potential for leadership, and thoughtfulness.
Those who will be future Alfond Scholars are found upon application to the college. Expected to send in applications by priority scholarship deadlines, they are considered for the scholarships the institution offers. From there, potential Scholars are selected from a pool of many and are narrowed down to a final few. Once accepted, students are expected to be changemakers and leaders.
“The overall idea is to leave Rollins better than they found it, and every iteration would want to do that,” said KC.
After acceptance, students have the ability to participate in different campus organizations and organize events to benefit others. “Their passions lie in many different things, and that’s why we love them so much. Clubs, organizations, they’re involved in multiple different things combined,” said KC.
While the program brings students new opportunities and opens doors for them on campus, it also brings touching experiences off campus.
“When I have a student come up to me and tell me that I was even a small part of the reason they chose to come to Rollins, I feel overjoyed and know that is a way I can give back to a school that has given so much to me,” said Evan Link (‘25). “My two experiences abroad instilled in me a passion for travel and led to some of the most meaningful experiences of my life.”
The Alfond Scholars, like many students, come from different places and backgrounds yet work toward common goals to maintain and better the campus overall. “The Alfond Scholarship has brought together people from different backgrounds—I myself being from Zambia, with others coming from Nepal and various parts of the world,” said Nchimunya Mwiinga (‘25), co-president of the Alfond Program. “This contributes to the cultural diversity on our campus and enriches the diversity of thought among students.”
Including the Alfond Scholars Program, students have vast opportunities on campus, each awaiting new scholars or leaders to make great contributions and do great things not just for themselves, but for the campus community as a whole.
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