Looking at Austin Jenkins, a light-haired, white Ohio University freshman from Jackson, a rural town in Appalachia, it might be hard to classify him as a minority.
However, college-age students from Jenkins’ hometown have encountered challenges, with approximately 14 percent of students from Jenkins’ senior class going on to higher education.
The average of Appalachian adults who have completed four years of college or more is below the national average, falling at 17.6 percent as opposed to 24.4 percent, according to the Appalachian Regional Commission’s website.
The Appalachian Scholars Program, offered through the Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention, was founded in 2005 as part of OU President Roderick McDavis’ initiatives to increase diversity in the student body after the Urban Scholars Program’s creation in 2004. The first Appalachian scholar graduated early in 2009.
Scholars receive a four-year renewable scholarship for the Athens campus along with a book stipend and other resources. The number of scholars varies depending on funding, ranging from the incoming class of 2006, which had 10 recipients, to the class of 2012, which had one recipient.
“Mine was a special case,” said Megan Stalter, the 2011 Appalachian scholar and a junior studying art history. “I was notified of the program … that year, they didn’t know whether they would be able to have one.”
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must have academic talent, participate in an interview, demonstrate financial need and live in one of the 29 eligible Appalachian counties in Ohio.
Stalter said the scholarship has allowed her many opportunities, including participating in the LINKS program, a peer-mentoring program for first-year multicultural students.
“Appalachian scholars are very high-achieving,” said Thomas Raimondi, coordinator for leadership and scholar development at OMSAR. “They’re role models and (examples of) campus achievement.”
Jenkins, a freshman studying finance, said that as a first-generation college student, LINKS and the resources provided by the Appalachian Scholars Program made the transition go smoothly.
“It gives students like myself who have struggles going to college financially a chance to find a ‘home away from home’ and lighten the financial burden on parents,” Jenkins said.
Stalter, who hails from Marietta, said she never felt like she was at a disadvantage coming from Appalachia.
“I love being from here,” Stalter said. “But there aren’t many opportunities to go to school or get out of the area. (This allows) students that have low financial aid but high academic (promise) a chance to get out and contribute to society.”
eb104010@ohiou.edu
