Davis & Elkins College announced the winner of its Citizens Bank of West Virginia Emerging Leaders Scholarship, Cathrynne Tenney, on Thursday in the Elkins High School auditorium. Tenney is the recipient of a full, four-year scholarship that includes tuition, room, and board.
Tenney, of Beverly, West Virginia, is a decorated high school student who has participated in nearly a dozen different organizations, committees, teams, and groups across the many available opportunities at Elkins High School. She serves as president of the Student Government Association, as member of the Local School Improvement Committee, is a Class Counsel representative, an Elkins High School band member, National and Spanish Honor Society member, and a cross-country team co-captain, among others.
“We are thrilled an exceptional local student is being awarded this year’s Citizens Bank of West Virginia Emerging Leaders Scholarship and will benefit from this significant financial and educational gift,” says Citizens President and CEO Nathaniel S. Bonnell. “It is a privilege to continue partnering with Davis & Elkins College and WDTV to provide scholarship support and witness the positive impact it has on students’ lives and the development of our future leaders.”
Tenney is the fourth recipient of this scholarship, marking the first time in D&E history that each class is represented by its own distinguished Emerging Leaders Scholarship recipient. Alongside her stand-out 4.80 grade-point-average, she carries an academic interest in religion and philosophy, and has desires of a career in law.
Davis & Elkins College President Chris A. Wood states, “We are so pleased to welcome Cathrynne Tenney as our newest Citizen’s Bank of West Virginia Emerging Leaders’ Scholar, and we are particularly proud that such an outstanding young leader is from our community. We received many applications from the best and brightest across the state, but in our own backyard is the student who most impressed us as she described how she would give back to the state of West Virginia if she were to receive the scholarship. Cathrynne joins three other outstanding scholarship winners from past years, and together they will be a force for good on the D&E campus.”
“Cathrynne is a truly exceptional young lady who exemplifies the qualities we value in emerging leaders,” says Senior Director of Enrollment Management & Student Success, Angie Scott, who, along with President Wood, Tenney’s parents, Tristan and Ashleigh Tenney, and Elkins High School Administrative Staff all assisted in a successful ceremony. “As an exemplary student, she consistently demonstrates academic excellence while maintaining a deep commitment to her community. Her passion for service and compassion for others have made a profound impact, and she continues to give back selflessly, inspiring those around her. We are confident that she will not only thrive at Davis & Elkins College but also contribute meaningfully to the campus community.”
Underscoring her many accolades and community contributions are Tenney’s commitment to her love of service, perseverance, and courage. Her promise of maintaining empathy within her educational and professional careers speak volumes to the character of Davis & Elkins College’s newest Emerging Leader.
