108 Years of Adventist Scholarship and Service Honored in San Antonio, Texas

Posted November 23, 2016On Sabbath, November 19, hundreds of Adventist scholars attending their national societies' annual meetings in San Antonio, Texas, united to celebrate the work of two longtime professors of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary for their 108 combined years of distinguished service to academe and the church. Publication of a Festschrift, a collection of essays by colleagues, in their honor, is one of the high tributes scholars may receive for their work.

Robert M. Johnston, retired New Testament scholar, received his Festschrift during the Sabbath morning meeting of the Adventist Society for Religious Studies (ASRS) at the San Antonio Hyatt hotel. It honored Johnston's 60 years of teaching and other service to the Adventist church at several levels and in different parts of the world. Before becoming a celebrated seminarian he served for two years at Fresno Union Academy teaching Bible, History and Spanish. Later, he and wife, Madeline, made pioneering contributions to the growth and education of the church in Asia: 1958-1969, they served in Korea where he was head of the religion department at the Korean Union Training School which became Korean Union College (now Sahmyook University); from 1969 through 1970 he was acting dean of the graduate School of Religion at Philippine Union College. Subsequently, he was earnestly recruited for the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, where he arrived in 1973. As Madeline says, " we've been here ever since." Johnston retired in 2002, having spent much of his time at the seminary as chair of the New Testament department.

Johnston's admiration around the world of New Testament scholarship for his work on parables is reflected in the focus of his Festschrift, entitled Biblical Parables, a compilation of studies on Old and New Testament parables by 20 scholars, including such leaders in the field as Craig Keener and Craig Evans.

Source: 108 Years of Adventist Scholarship and Service Honored in San Antonio, Texas

Breezing through recording scholarship

Local singer-songwriter Breeze Millard will be recording her own song after winning the Whyalla Recording Scholarship.

ACHIEVEMENT: Mayor Lyn Breuer presented local singer-songwriter Breeze Millard with the Whyalla Recording Scholarship.

With a passionate and powerful voice, local singer-songwriter Breeze Millard captivated a small media audience gathered in the Whyalla Lutheran Church.

It's that voice which may be the key to Breeze's future, after she 16-year-old was announced as the winner of the 2016 Whyalla Recording Scholarship (WRS).

Breeze impressed a field of six judges with her original song titled "I Have My Own Life" and will now go into the studio to record and release her work as a debut single.

The WRS was launched earlier this year by Stormfront Productions and the Whyalla City Council, to give local musicians an opportunity to further their professional careers.

Breeze said she saw the scholarship as a way to return to songwriting after taking a break this year.

"It took me a little while to write this song but I think it came out really well, it was written because I did my research project at school on creating a song," she said.

"Throughout the project I learnt new techniques to help me write my own music, and because I write a lot, when I was writing I was touching on a lot of emotions so I ended up using them as inspiration for my music.

"The Whyalla Recording Scholarship will be another great opportunity for me to expand my singing and songwriting career."

Breeze said the scholarship was 'absolutely great' for anyone interested in singing and songwriting.

"There are a lot of great singers and songwriters and this is a fantastic opportunity to get them out there and get what they have created showcased around the world," she said.

For the next 12 months Breeze will be recording her song and making it public to the community – while also writing new music.

Stormfront Productions member Alison Hams said Breeze was a WRS applicant who 'ticked all the boxes'.

"We had a number of criteria that our panel of judges looked at for all of those auditioning and Breeze was a stand-out in all of those," she said.

"We were looking for someone who could sing and write but also shows real drive and dedication to take their music beyond the horizon and show what they can do to the best professional standards."

TALENT: Breeze during her stunning performance of her scholarship-winning song "I Have My Own Life".

The WRS judging panel was composed of  Whyalla City Council's Youth Officer Gail Rostig, well-known local musician and sound-engineer Gavin Chandler and Alison Hams and Mark Tempany from Stormfront Productions.

Video judging in Adelaide was also done by Anthony and Tracy Stewart from Red Brick Music and award-winning group The Sherrahs.

Source: Breezing through recording scholarship

Online jeweler Blue Nile opens fifth brick-and-mortar showroom, this time near its HQ in Seattle

The Blue Nile store at Washington Square in the Portland, Ore. area. The Bellevue location looks nearly ident ical. Photo via Blue Nile.

Blue Nile continues to expand its physical retail presence.

The Seattle-based online diamond seller, which is set to be acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity and Bow Street LLC early next year, opened a "webroom" on Tuesday at Bellevue Square in Bellevue, Wash.

This is Blue Nile's fifth showroom — the first location opened in a Long Island mall in June 2015 — and is part of the company's growing brick-and-mortar initiative.

The showrooms lets shoppers look at, hold and feel more than 400 different engagement ring styles. They can talk to Blue Nile employees to answer questions and figure out exactly what they want. When it comes time to make the purchase, shoppers can use tablets in the store to order online or make a purchase later from home. The tablets also feature an online catalog of more than 150,000 independently-graded loose diamonds.

The company keeps its overhead low by not maintaining inventory, keeping the store space small and only staffing it with a couple employees who are not paid on commission. At the same time, it's able to show off a wide selection and give personalized help to anyone who walks in.

"Our Webrooms are fresh, modern, and bright, and put shoppers in the driver's seat – not the other way around," Blue Nile CEO Harvey Kanter said in a statement. "It is truly a unique, customer-first experience that contrasts meaningfully with any traditional jewelry retailer."

Blue Nile CEO Harvey Kanter.

In addition to the new store in Bellevue and the Long Island location, the other showrooms are in Portland, Ore.; White Plains, N.Y.; and Fairfax County, Va.

Last year, Kanter said physical locations may be a central part of the company's long-term strategy. Other online sellers also have similar brick-and-mortar retail strategies, like Bonobos for clothing and Warby Parker for eyewear. Even Amazon, which has driven most of the innovation in the e-commerce industry over the past two decades, now has a physical bookstore in Seattle and is preparing to open a physical grocery store.

Kanter said e-commerce retailers should bridge the gap between digital and online in order to give shoppers the kind of personalized experience they're looking for.

"That's really what we think the millennial customer is interested in," he said last year. "Having that holistic, compelling experience that's memorable."

Blue Nile, which went public in 2004 after launching five years earlier, announced earlier this month that it agreed to be acquired for $500 million by Bain Capital Private Equity and Bow Street LLC. The all-cash deal will price Blue Nile's stock at $40.75, which is a 34 percent premium over the company's closing price on Nov. 4. Blue Nile will keep its Seattle headquarters and become a privately-held company. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year.

Source: Online jeweler Blue Nile opens fifth brick-and-mortar showroom, this time near its HQ in Seattle

Hilary Lindh Scholarship applications open

Eaglecrest Ski Area is now accepting applications for its annual Hilary Lindh Scholarship. Four K-12 student applicants chosen by the selection committee will receive a 2016-17 season pass to Eaglecrest.

The selection committee will judge applicants based on three main criteria: scholastic achievement, competitive spirit and financial need. All Juneau area students are eligible to apply within the four divisions: boys kindergarten through fifth grade, girls kindergarten through fifth grade, boys sixth through 12th grade and girls sixth through 12th grade. Recipients will be announced Dec. 19 online and in the Eaglecrest newsletter.

Applications are available online at skijuneau.com/lindh.php and will be accepted until noon Dec. 12. Applicants are asked to answer four short essay questions related to goal-setting, achievement and inspiration.

Hilary Lindh was a world champion downhill skier who trained on Eaglecrest's slopes during her youth days. In her career, Linh won three world cups, a youth world cup and a silver Olympic medal. She was accepted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Source: Hilary Lindh Scholarship applications open

UGA’s Laura Courchesne named 2017 Rhodes Scholar

Laura Courchesne's work throughout her three-plus years at the University of Georgia paid off incredible dividends Saturday evening as she became one of 32 students in the U.S. to be named a Rhodes Scholar, receiving the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship award in the world.

Courchesne, an Honors Program student and Foundation Fellow from Fair Haven, New Jersey, is majoring in economics and religion in the Terry College of Business and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, respectively. Her studies focus on the emerging field of behavioral approaches to conflict; her primary research interest is the link between non-state armed groups and civilian populations.

She is the 24th UGA student to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Recipients are nominated by their colleges and universities and are selected through a process spanning the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories. The 2017 scholars will begin their various courses of study at the University of Oxford in October.

"The University of Georgia is very proud of Laura for earning this most prestigious scholarship," said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. "Her outstanding record at the university made this award possible, and her research interests have the potential to impact the world around us. I look forward to all that she will continue to accomplish as a UGA alumna and Rhodes Scholar."

For Courchesne, her move to Oxford to pursue master's degrees in social anthropology and politics research will extend the relationships she's already built at that institution. She previously attended Oxford during its Trinity Term in 2014 and 2015 and conducted research with the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology. This past June, she completed Oxford's executive leadership course on the changing character of armed conflict.

Currently, she's working as a research assistant under the supervision of Oxford's Annette Idler examining illicit economies, militant groups and local populations at the borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan and between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. She also has been invited to join a team at Oxford's Changing Character of War Programme to conduct a four-year project on military transformation, consulting with the Colombian army on dealing with non-state armed groups.

"I am fascinated with what influences non-violent populations to begin endorsing and engaging in violence, the strength of social bonds within violent organizations, how resources shape organizational structure, and the types of relationships non-state armed groups form with civilians," Courchesne said. "There is an unseen human aspect to war and conflict that I aim to discover."

Adding to her list of current endeavors, she's also a research assistant for the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project at Princeton University and a research analyst for the International Committee of the Red Cross' Unit for Relations with Arms Carriers. At UGA, she's working with Jeffrey Berejikian in the School of Public and International Affairs studying psychological ramifications of drone strikes on non-combatant populations.

Courchesne has conducted research in Bali, Indonesia; Binghamton, New York; Lausanne, Switzerland; the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and the Carter Center's Americas Program in Atlanta. In addition to being a Foundation Fellow, she is a Leonard Leadership Scholar and UGA Presidential Scholar; received a research assistantship through UGA's Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, or CURO; is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Palladia Women's Honor Society and Blue Key Honor Society; and has earned CURO graduation distinction.

"Laura has made the most of her UGA experience by combining internships, study abroad, undergraduate research and other hands-on learning opportunities," said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. "Her success in earning the Rhodes Scholarship is one of many examples of the great things that happen when you provide talented students with an unrivaled learning environment."

She was an Honors teaching assistant at UGA and is an editor for the UGA Journal for Undergraduate Research Opportunities and on the board of trustees for the Jonathan D. Rosen Family Charitable Foundation.

"Beyond having an incredible intellect, Laura also has profound empathy," said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of UGA's Honors Program, and the UGA faculty representative for the Rhodes Scholarship. "Rhodes Scholars are not just smart — they make the world better. Laura is dedicated to that being her life's work."

A new U.S. Rhodes Scholar class is selected each year on the Saturday preceding the Thanksgiving holiday. Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, according to the organization, but also for their character, commitment to others and the common good, and for their potential for leadership.

Other recent Rhodes Scholarship recipients from UGA include Juliet Elizabeth Allan in 2013, Tracy Yang in 2011 and Deep Shah and Kate Vyborny in 2008.

Source: UGA's Laura Courchesne named 2017 Rhodes Scholar

Tips to Land a College Scholarship

(StatePoint) If you are college-bound or already enrolled, experts say it's worth investing the time to investigate scholarship opportunities -- even if you think you may not be eligible for most opportunities. According to a recent study, more than a third of college costs in the U.S. were covered by scholarships and grants in the 2015-2016 academic year.

"Scholarship money doesn't have to be paid back, and it can significantly reduce out-of-pocket college costs for families," says Martha Holler, senior vice president at Sallie Mae, who also points out that scholarships are not just for star football players and valedictorians.

From scholarships for dart players and vegetarians to filmmakers and those fluent in Klingon, available awards run the gamut and extend well beyond academics or athletics to a wide range of activities, interests, and affiliations.

"Have a passion for designing greeting cards? There's a scholarship for that! Interested in helping people understand the perils of texting when driving? There's a scholarship for that too," says Holler.

With this in mind, Holler and the experts at Sallie Mae are offering the following scholarship tips.

• Be thorough. Don't overlook smaller scholarships. Even a few hundred dollars can help offset the cost of textbooks and supplies.

• Be proactive. Apply for scholarships every year. Approximately 50 percent of available scholarships are for students already enrolled in college.

• Be diligent. Pay attention to details. Follow instructions and proofread carefully.

• Be careful. Never pay for scholarships or for scholarship searches. School counselors and school financial aid offices can recommend reputable options. One such site is Scholarship Search by Sallie Mae, a free scholarship search tool that is home to five million scholarships valued at $24 billion dollars. The tool responds with matches that identify relevant scholarships and their award amounts, application requirements, and deadlines, and it automatically sends updates when it identifies new matches. Those who register are automatically eligible to win the Plan for College Sweepstakes, which awards $1,000 each month to a winner selected at random.

• Be on time. Meet deadlines. If an application can't be submitted electronically, use certified mail. Stay organized and ahead of deadlines by using automated calendar alerts.

For more scholarship tips, visit SallieMae.com/ScholarshipSearch.

College scholarships come in all shapes and sizes and billions of dollars are awarded each year. By applying to all the scholarships for which you are eligible, you can be sure you are not passing up any opportunity to reduce your potential debt down the line.

Photo Credit: (c) Antonioguillem - Fotolia.com

Source: Tips to Land a College Scholarship

Ascentra offering scholarships

BETTENDORF -- The Ascentra Credit Union Scholarship Competition will award $10,000 in scholarships to members planning to further their education starting the 2017-18 school year.  

Five $1,000 scholarships will be presented to high school students planning to enter college and five $1,000 scholarships for members, at least 19 years old, who are considered non-traditional or continuing education students.

Scholarship entrants will be judged on a 500-word essay on "How do credit unions distinguish themselves from other financial institutions?" Applicants will be judged on their essay, resume, awards, extracurricular activities, volunteer services and work experience. 

Deadline for the Ascentra Scholarship Competition is March 1. Applications and official rules are available at all Ascentra branches or online at at ascentra.org/scholarships. 

Source: Ascentra offering scholarships