Holly Johnston of Danville Chosen as Undergraduate Fellow by Fund for Theological Education

STAUNTON, VA (05/04/2012)(readMedia)-- Holly Johnston of Danville has been accepted into the Undergraduate Fellowship Program of the Fund for Theological Education (FTE). Johnston is a sophomore at Mary Baldwin College. 

The Undergraduate Fellowship program seeks to support gifted young leaders from diverse racial and ethnic communities and a variety of Christian faith traditions who are exploring ministry as vocation. This program provides both financial help and a nurturing network of support during a student's junior or senior year of college.

FTE Undergraduate Fellows are awarded a stipend of $2,000 to apply toward education-related expenses and/or an experience of exploring ministry. Fellows will also attend the FTE Leaders in Ministry Conference to be held June 19 - 23, 2012.

Johnston was nominated by Katherine Low, assistant professor of religion and chaplain at Mary Baldwin College. 

"I am nominating Ms. Johnston based on many factors, including her academic performance in religion courses and her leadership presence in a variety of campus programs," Low wrote in her letter of nomination. "She has a minor in ministry and is an active member of an interfaith student group called Quest. Ms. Johnston's emotional maturity and ability to express her call to ministry in the United Methodist Church in a confident, clear, respectful, and reflective manner leads me to nominate her. The fact that her fellow students admire her for her personal integrity and her ability to connect her faith with the larger society informs my decision to wholeheartedly nominate Ms. Johnston for this important fellowship."

Founded in 1842, Mary Baldwin College is a diverse institution that transforms lives through personalized education, innovatively integrating liberal arts, experiential learning, civic engagement, and global citizenship. At the undergraduate level, the College for Women serves about 800 students on the historic main campus in downtown Staunton, Virginia, and the Adult Degree Program serves both men and women on campus and at regional centers throughout Virginia. A top-ranked master's level university, MBC also offers co-educational graduate programs in teacher education and Shakespeare and Performance. U.S. News & World Report named MBC a top-tier master's university in the South and Washington Monthly ranked the college No. 8 among all master's level universities in the country.