CIU Announces Winner of Full-Tuition Scholarship

CIU Announces Winner of Full-Tuition Scholarship

Andrew Hampshire, 2013 R.C. McQuilkin Scholarship winner

The winner of the 2013 R.C. McQuilkin Leadership Scholarship from Columbia International University is a leader at his church, high school and in his community. Andrew Hampshire of Orlando, Fla. receives the full-tuition scholarship from CIU following a weekend of competition on the CIU campus, Nov. 14-16.

The Ninth Annual R.C McQuilkin Scholarship Weekend included 47 high school seniors representing 11 states, with one student travelling from the country of Hungary. The weekend featured intense interviews, interactive group activities, panel discussions and just plain fun.

Andrew learned that he was the winner of the scholarship on the Monday following the competition when he received a congratulatory phone call from CIU president Dr. Bill Jones.

“I was very surprised,” Andrew said. “I guess I was kind of shocked.”

Andrew was very familiar with CIU long before the competition. His father and mother, John and Cindy Hampshire, graduated from CIU in the 1980s and his sister Kristy in 2012. Andrew was born and lived the first 10 years of his life in Nairobi, Kenya where his parents served as Wycliffe Bible Translators, influencing his decision to major in Intercultural Studies at CIU so he can also be prepared for missionary work after graduation.  

“I’ve always loved mission trips, and I love meeting new people,” Andrew said. “It just seems like that is where God is leading me.”

Andrew’s love for God and for people led him into a busy life of outreach during his high school years. He has served at his public high school as the leader of the on-campus chapter of CRU (the former Campus Crusade for Christ), in a variety of settings in his community, and most importantly to Andrew, at his church. There he says he “hangs out” with middle school-age youth and spends time with them “having conversations about God and where they are spiritually.”

The R.C. McQuilkin Leadership Scholarship is named after CIU’s first president R.C. McQuilkin who believed in strong Christian character and academic excellence.

Check out the McQuilkin Weekend fun at the CIU Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciuimpact/sets/72157637815951505/.