The University of Central Missouri (UCM) has awarded its first-ever Provost Excellence Scholarship to Eliza Thomas, of Jefferson City.
The Provost Excellence Scholarship is UCM’s top financial award, offering recipients up to $16,000 to support their educational journeys at the university. Renewable each year for up to four years, this scholarship rewards a high-achieving student who demonstrates excellence in all aspects of their life.
The other award finalists were Mackenzie Farkes, of Lenexa, Kansas; Alex Houghtlin, of Shawnee, Kansas; Saul Logan, of Warrensburg; Julie Merritt, of Wentzville; Gibson Nichol, of Lone Jack; and Amir Ramos, of Warrensburg.
While only one Provost Excellence Scholar is named at the yearly scholarship event, all finalists qualify for a full tuition and fee Red and Black Scholarship. All applicants also receive additional scholarship consideration, as 94% of UCM undergraduates receive financial aid.
"During this first year of offering the Provost Excellence Scholarship, we loved meeting a bunch of wonderful students with amazing stories and bright futures ahead of them,” said Chris Lang, assistant vice provost for Admissions, Analytics and Financial Aid. “Our team loved working through each student's application and learning more about what each of these students has done. Narrowing down the applicant list to our seven wonderful finalists was difficult, and all of our finalists embody everything that UCM stands for. Each one has an impressive academic resume with lots of involvement. I'm excited to see what these students will bring to our campus."
Thomas, a Blair Oaks High School senior, plans to major in Elementary Education. She is the daughter of Chad and Jeana Thomas.
Thomas’ high school involvement includes the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, Spanish Club, choir, tutoring and soccer. In the community, Thomas is active in her church’s choir and youth group, and she is a figure skater and skating instructor with JC Parks.
“My academics are at the top of my priority list, but I also love getting involved,” Thomas said. “I'm very much a people person. Any way that I can get involved and meet new people and help out, I have a very, very strong passion for helping others, which is why I want to go into elementary education.”
The future UCM student said she will likely add a Special Education minor. Thomas said she has always wanted to be a teacher, but her experience as a skating instructor in the last few years, especially with the adaptive skating program, solidified that choice. Seeing her students succeed has been incredibly fulfilling.
As Thomas searched for college options, she learned about UCM’s rich education history, which extends to its early days as a training school for teachers. She said she also enjoys the size of the university and the large number of clubs offered, two aspects that will allow her to make meaningful connections.
“If I want to go into education, I might as well start at the roots because I feel like that's what's going to make me the best teacher that I can be,” Thomas said. “I know that I'm going to get the experience and education that is going to help me prosper in that aspect just because of how deeply rich the history is in education here. So that was a big influence.”
The Provost Excellence Scholarship is awarded to a well-rounded individual who is academically deserving and deeply involved in extracurricular activities in their school or community.
Applicants must have a high school or college GPA of 3.85 or higher and are required to submit an application and a two-to-three-minute video submission answering this prompt: “What life experience has made you who you are today, and what impact would a UCM degree have on your life?”
Finalists attended a unique campus experience on Nov. 15-16, which included a campus tour, academic meetings with faculty and college deans, interviews with the UCM News Bureau, attending a class for their expected major, and completing a formal interview with the scholarship selection committee. The students also attended a dinner hosted by UCM President Roger Best and First Lady Robin Best.
The weekend concluded with students and their families watching Mules Football defeat Missouri Southern on Saturday, where the scholarship award winner was announced during the game.
For more information about the UCM Office of Admissions, visit ucmo.edu/admissions.
