Senior Awarded Full Academic Scholarship

Congratulations to Adam McAninley '23, who was just one of two members of the University of Mary Washington's incoming class to be selected as a Washington Scholar.

The Washington Scholarship is for Virginia residents, with priority to those who apply for admission to UMW by Nov. 15. It is a full scholarship that is renewable for four years of undergraduate studies, with GPA and residential requirements. Washington Scholars are also admitted to UMW's Honors Program and have access to funding for experiential learning opportunities, such as study abroad and undergraduate research.

Adam signed his scholarship paperwork during a ceremony on May 12 in the Thomas W. Johnson Gymnasium in the Beazley Center, surrounded by friends, family, teachers and UMW's Director of First Year Admissions, Sarah Lindberg.

"I personally remember coming to NSA back in October to visit the College Counseling suite, and Adam was in there" said Sarah. "We were chatting, he was telling me a little about himself, and I knew immediately he had to come to Mary Washington. He is the perfect fit for our university."

According to Sarah, UMW freshmen do not fill out a separate application for the Washington Scholarship. She and the dean of admissions sort through 5,000 applications for admission to narrow the pool down to a group of 25 top tier, honors-level students who represent all of Virginia's geographic areas and have different majors and interests. At the same time, all of the Washington Scholar finalists must demonstrate that they've taken the most challenging courses available to them. Finalists then interview with a committee, comprised of the university's chief of staff, faculty and alumni, that ultimately selects the school's two Washington Scholars for the year.

"From what the committee shared with me, after interviewing with Adam, it was a unanimous decision to offer him the Washington Scholarship," said Sarah. "They also shared with me that within minutes of starting to talk with Adam, they knew he was the perfect fit for our institution."

"I am excited about the university’s perfect location right between the state and national capital and intend to seek out internships with local, state or federal politicians," said Adam. "I was excited to hear how other students at Mary Washington have been able to secure these internships while still remaining involved with student life on campus. I think Mary Washington is the perfect size that will allow me to thrive and know my professors on a personal level."

Congratulations to Adam and best of luck at Mary Washington!