Students Named WALKS Scholars

The WALKS Foundation has named Westminster students Christopher Jones ’16 and Kailin Wright ’16 as WALKS Scholars for the 2013-2014 academic year.

 

WALKS is an acronym for five Hartford area schools — Westminster School, Avon Old Farms School, Loomis Chafee School, Kingswood Oxford School and Suffield Academy. In its 57th year, WALKS’ central purpose is “to provide scholarships at its five members schools for motivated, talented youths from Greater Hartford with a demonstrated financial need whose talents, commitment and energies promise community leadership in the future.” WALKS Scholarships, which are funded by area businesses, foundations, families and individuals, enable Walks Scholars to obtain the best possible secondary school education and college preparation.

 

Christopher Jones ’16, a resident of Hartford, is a Sorenson Pearson Scholar and a Hartford Youth Scholar. He is a volunteer tour guide, a member of the Multicultural Student Union, plays basketball, manages the football team and participates in track. He also plays AAU basketball and volunteers at a soup kitchen. He hopes to become a mechanical engineer.

 

Kailin Wright ’16, a resident of Hartford, is a Gummere Scholar. She participates in Chorale and Dramat. While a student at Indian Mountain School, she participated in the choir, the theater, the Black and Hispanic School Association and peer mediation. She also won the English prize. She enjoys volleyball, basketball and tennis and hopes to major in English and singing in college.

 

In addition to the two WALKS Scholars, Brittany Swanson ’14 was named a recipient of the Barnes Service Award, which annually recognizes one student on each campus who demonstrates outstanding and exemplary volunteer service either on or off campus. Brittany is a member of Black and Gold, works on The Westminster News and the Spectator, and serves as a peer counselor. As president of Serving Our Neighbors (SON), she is active in planning and executing the events that make SON a vital Westminster community service organization. She has also donated her time to Community Service Day, the MS Walk, the canned food drive, breast cancer awareness events and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

 

The students attended the annual WALKS Scholars luncheon Oct. 22 at the Hartford Golf Club, where Christopher spoke about success being the result of hard work rather than natural talent. He explained the constant work that was required of him during the 26 months he spent as a scholar with the Stepping Stone Academy in Hartford. He said his persistence was worth it: “After the application process, I was admitted into what I believe is the greatest community and school in the world, at least for me: Westminster.” He ended by saying: “As I was writing this speech, I was thinking to myself that it’s really people like you who make me grateful for the life I have. We wouldn’t be in this position we are in now if it weren’t for all of you here. People who I don’t even know are willing to give us resources to attend these great schools like Avon, Loomis, Suffield, Kingswood Oxford and of course, my home, Westminster, and for that I, and we, thank you.”