BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — A senior at Cross Lanes Christian School in Kanawha County will pack her bags for Buckhannon this fall. Eden Reynolds was announced Thursday as the 2020 West Virginia Scholar. The honor carries a full ride scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College in Upshur County.
“Words cannot express just how grateful I am. I feel so honored to be awarded this once in a lifetime opportunity and I plan on making the most of this new chapter in my life,” she said on MetroNews “Talkline” Thursday.
Reynolds is a captain on her high school basketball team, a leader in her school, active in her church, and has a stellar academic record. She also possesses a deep love of math and hopes to advance her expertise into a career in the STEM field after she’s done at Wesleyan.
“I really enjoy math and plan on studying for a duel bachelors in physics and engineering,” she said.
She added she wants to use those degrees not only to benefit herself and her family in the future, but also everybody around her.
Eden Reynolds, Recipient of the West Virginia Wesleyan Scholar Scholarship, talks with @HoppyKercheval about receiving the scholarship and her plans for the future. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/5Pyw1BMSRo
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) November 12, 2020
“Hopefully I can give back to my state, that’s my ultimate goal. I feel like I’ve been given so much by my community and my family, I want to give back to them. That’s what I plan on doing,” she said.
Wesleyan President Joel Thierstein said the West Virginia Scholar Program is one of Wesleyan’s most important awards each year.
“It’s life changing. This is an opportunity to go to college for free. Everything is covered. A qualify institution like West Virginia Wesleyan is life changing to everybody, but if you can do it for free that’s an amazing opportunity,” Thierstein said.
Reynolds was selected from a group of 15 highly qualified finalists which included:
| Haley Cox | Shady Springs High School |
| Emma Dotson | Bridgeport High School |
| Melody Garrett | Lewis County High School |
| Abigail Hannan | Elkins High School |
| Davis Haynes | Ripley High School |
| Alexander Heath | Musselman High School |
| Abigail Judy | Winfield High School |
| Macy McKnight | Sissonville High School |
| Quinn Raffo | Richwood High School |
| Lauren Rousch | Ripley High School |
| Alex Thompson | Philip Barbour High School |
| Allison Vance | Washington High School |
| Miranda Vaughn | Cabell-Midland High School |
| Peyton Whitt | James Monroe High School |
The West Virginia Scholar program is made possible by the generosity of sponsors which included: Friends of Coal, West Virginia Hospital Association, RBC Wealth Management, West Virginia Farm Bureau, ZMM Architects and Engineers, and West Virginia Wesleyan. MetroNews is also a proud sponsor of the program.