Special to Iredell Free News

The Iredell County Crosby Scholars awarded the first Sarah and Henry Young Scholarship to a promising South Iredell High School Student during the student award ceremony on May 27.

The scholarship award of $500 was awarded to Zach Foster, who plans to attend Wingate University. To be eligible in 2022, a student had to be a South Iredell graduate, a participant in the Crosby Scholars Program, and plans to study at a traditional liberal arts college or university.

The Scholarship honors Sarah Young, a 2016 graduate of South Iredell and a 2020 graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., as well as her brother, Henry Young, a 2021 graduate of South Iredell, who is a sophomore at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.

The idea to promote the liberal arts through a scholarship came as a result of the work their father, Rob Young, has undertaken as a Senior Advisor for Crosby Scholars. According to Young, most of his student advisees only consider the big public universities despite the many benefits that come from a traditional liberal arts college education.

“In many cases, traditional liberal arts colleges, both in North Carolina and out of state, can more than compete with the big universities in terms of net cost, faculty to student ratio, and the opportunities to make a meaningful impact in a small college community,” said Young who, along with his wife Kim Young earned their bachelor’s degrees at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, North Carolina’s only public liberal arts university.

“Along with their great value, liberal arts colleges and universities expose students to a common core of cultural values along with teaching students fundamental skills like critical thinking and writing skills,” Young added. “These programs prepare students not just for their next career but prepare them for their career lifespan. That’s why our family so greatly supports liberal arts education.”

The Young Scholarship will be entering the 2022-2023 academic year with renewed ambition to lead promising students to a future in liberal arts education. Like in 2021-2022, the scholarship will continue to be awarded for $500 and will continue to be offered through Iredell Crosby Scholars. A student applicant will have to be in good standing with the Crosby Scholars Program to apply. The scholarship will be open to all Iredell Statesville students regardless of where they attend high school.  

LEARN MORE

Interested students should contact Jennifer Jamison at Iredell Crosby Scholars for more information at jjamison@crosbyscholarsiredell.org or Rob Young at robyoung34@hotmail.com.