May 2011 found us sending 26 more YPS alumni out into the world.  It was a great class of young men and women, some of whom are already serving Christ in their next steps in life.  All in all, there are now 167 Westminster College graduates who also held the YPS Scholarship. They are in the fields of education, medicine, engineering and ministry – to name a few.  They are still developing their potential and their abilities.  And they are still seeking Christ through church and service. 

This is our greatest hope with the Program – that the young men and women who have been raised in the church, nominated by the church and involved in faithful conversation and study and worship during their college years will continue those patterns wherever they live and work.  Just as the College herself hopes that all of her alumni love and serve the College following graduation, we hope that all YPS alumni continue to love and serve the church.

Academically, the Young Presbyterian Scholarship awardees continue to rank high in their classes and participate in leadership on and off campus in diverse and exciting ways.  Even during the summer months, many are camp counselors, working in youth ministry in churches, teaching and traveling through service and mission organizations, and providing help to communities in a variety of ways. 

In April, the Spring Honors Convocation was part of a full day of academic and research celebration on Westminster’s campus.  Here are some of the highlights for YPS:

• 17 YPS students received special departmental awards, with 1 receiving special recognition in the College Honors Program in Chemistry
•  35 YPS students made the Dean’s List (out of 91, an excellent percentage)
• 4 students were inducted into Pi Sigma Pi honor fraternity
• 5 students were inducted into Lambda Sigma honor society
• 1 student was inducted into Mortar Board national honor society
• 4 students were inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society
• 4 student-athletes were included in the PAC (President’s Athletic Conference) Spring & Fall 2010 Honor Roll

YPS students do not have their own fellowship group, and never intended to do so.  They participate in the variety of worship and fellowship opportunities that the Chapel Office offers to the entire campus.  However, they do meet 3 times per semester for “Discussion Group” time.  Over the years, YPS has used books, handouts and other forms of media as a base for the discussions.  The conversations have ranged from theology to ethic for the young Christian in the workplace, and many other subjects.  We have also done some self-surveys based on some national surveys of the spiritual lives of “emerging adults”.  The results and conversations have been quite interesting.

This year, our theme is “Words of Wisdom”, and we will be exploring the words and experiences of some well-known men and women of faith, both from history and our day.  We will be welcoming 26 new YPS students this fall from all over the United States and Puerto Rico.  We are excited to be part of the life of these students during these important years, and we welcome the prayerful support of our alumni and the church at large for the mission of building up young people in faith and confidence in Christ.