Link Institute announces 2010 essay winners
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Huntington, Ind.-Esther Kaufman from Grabill, Ind., has been selected as the winner of the "Reaching My Generation for Christ" essay contest sponsored by Huntington University's Link Institute for Faithful and Effective Youth Ministry in partnership with YouthWorker Journal. Second and third places went to Kelsie Schoemaker from Sheridan, Ind., and Hope Ammen from Roanoke, Va., respectively. For first place, Kaufman, who was homeschooled, will be awarded a cash prize of $250 and a $4,000 annual scholarship to Huntington University ($16,000 total). The essay will also be published in YouthWorker Journal, a magazine dedicated to youth ministry.
Kaufman was born in Toyama, Japan, where her father and mother worked as church-planting missionaries with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). She was actively involved in her family's evangelistic lifestyle from an early age, helping with outreach and hospitality in Toyama. After graduating from high school, Kaufman has worked with Operation Mobilization and in a medical clinic for refugees. She plans to attend Huntington University this fall.
The second-place winner, Schoemaker, a senior at Westfield High School, will receive $150 and a $3,000 annual scholarship to Huntington University ($12,000 total).
Schoemaker attends Westfield Friends Church and is active in the youth group and music ministry, and she enjoys playing the piano and has enjoyed participating in many short-term mission trips. Schoemaker plans to attend Huntington University this fall and study elementary education and minor in Spanish.
Ammen, who is homeschooled, will receive $75 and a $2,000 annual scholarship to Huntington University ($8,000 total) for third place. Ammen plans to attend Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va., this fall and will study cinema television so that she may continue her dreams of telling stories and traveling the world.
This essay contest which is in its second year is open to high school juniors and seniors.
For more information, visit www.linkinstitute.com.
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