On Tuesday, officials with the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation (WGHFF) announced a $250,000 commitment to establish the Marcus Jonathan Hunt Scholarship at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM.
The new scholarship program will provide financial assistance over the next five years for students graduating from El Paso area high schools who wish to attend St. John’s College.
In addition to this undergraduate scholarship, the grant will also provide summer program scholarships to give high school students from the Borderplex region the opportunity to enroll in St. John’s Summer Academy on the Santa Fe campus.
“The Marcus Jonathan Hunt Scholarship program builds on our Foundation’s commitment to provide students in the Borderplex region opportunities to pursue and obtain a postsecondary education and create a globally competitive region,” said Woody L. Hunt, Chairman of the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation.
“Our Foundation is excited to partner with St. John’s College to ensure that students wanting to pursue a liberal arts college education have the opportunity to do so.”
Scholarship officials share that St. John’s College is the region’s only private liberal arts college. It offers a distinctive liberal arts curriculum and educational practices that are rooted in collaborative inquiry and the study of original texts. Graduates of the school have gone on to graduate and professional programs in areas such as law, medicine, education, business, journalism, and the arts.
The St. John’s Summer Academy introduces high school students aged 15-18 to the school’s discussion-based, interdisciplinary method of teaching the great books, giving them an immersive introduction to life at the college through campus excursions and workshops.
“We are extremely grateful for the contributions of the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation and their dedication to expanding academic opportunities for bright and motivated students from the El Paso region,” said Kelly Brown, Vice President of Advancement, Campaign Director at St. John’s College.
“We look forward to welcoming the Marcus Jonathan Hunt Scholarship recipients to our campus and providing a quality educational experience that will help students broaden their minds and reach their goals.”
Madeline Anderson, a graduating senior from Franklin High School in El Paso, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Marcus Jonathan Hunt Scholarship and will attend St. John’s College this fall.
During her high school career, she was a member of the National Honor Society and the School Academic Decathlon Team. She is also a self-taught composer who plays piano, bass guitar, and the viola with the school orchestra.
Named after Woody and Gayle Hunt’s late son who was an alumnus of St. John’s College, the Marcus Jonathan Hunt Scholarship is one of several commitments the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation have made to increase postsecondary education opportunities for students in the Borderplex region.
