Senior Natalie Benton recently used her Westminster leadership and negotiating skills to advocate at the Missouri State Capitol against potential governmental cuts to higher-education scholarship funding.
The St. Peters, Missouri, resident gave an impassioned presentation before approximately 20 representatives of the House Budget Committee on Feb. 17 in Jefferson City. She said her presentation appeared to be warmly received by the lawmakers.
Her testimony through the Keep Me In College campaign centered on potential cuts to Missouri’s merit-based Bright Flight program and need-based Access Missouri scholarship funding.
Benton told the committee that she is a recipient of both the Access Missouri scholarship and Bright Flight grant.
“Access Missouri … helps support financially deserving students from hard-working Missouri families across our state,” Benton explained before also describing the Bright Flight program, which is granted to top-ranked high school seniors for post-secondary education.
“I worked hard to achieve the ACT score necessary to receive this grant, and my receipt of it is the key factor that led me to pursue further education in Missouri,” she said.
The Digital Marketing and Business Communications major went on to list the many credentials made possible by her Westminster education.
She explained that she has taken a minimum of 18 credit hours each semester while serving on executive boards for five campus organizations, belonging to five honor societies, serving as head residential advisor on campus and working 20 hours per week in an off-campus internship, all while maintaining a 3.85 GPA.
Benton then said that her superior Westminster education was made possible through a number of scholarships and loans. But like many Missouri students, Access Missouri and Bright Flight were a substantial portion of her necessary funding.
“As you move through the budget process, I respectfully ask that you remember the Missouri students who depend on Access Missouri and Bright Flight,” Benton concluded. “Scholarships are critical investments in Missouri’s citizens that continue to give them, and our state’s economy, a bright future.”
The Missouri legislative session adjourns May 15. If you would like to join Benton in appealing to state decision-makers regarding possible cuts to Access Missouri and Bright Flight programs, simply fill out an online form on the Keep Me In College website.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
