The Citizens Bank of West Virginia Emerging Leaders Scholarship, worth $15,000 year, will be given to Huntington High School student Andrew Bowen to attend Davis & Elkins College, for a total of $60,000 over four years.
For a third year, WDTV, Citizens Bank of West Virginia, and Davis & Elkins collaborated to create this exclusive scholarship program. All West Virginia high school graduates from 2024 who had a GPA of 3.25 or more were entitled to apply, regardless of whether they were enrolled in a public, private, or homeschool. College administrators were so impressed with the quality of the applications that they decided to award many scholarships in addition to choosing one student who would earn a full four-year scholarship.
Applicants were required to submit a list of high school and community activities, along with an essay based on the topic, “If you receive this scholarship, how will you pay it forward to the state of West Virginia?”
Bowen is the son of Huntington residents Lori and Mike Bowen. Bowen is a captain of the cross-country team, a member of the National Honor Society, the Honors Program, and the Huntington High track team, which is currently the defending state champion. He has also been named an All-Region and All-Conference cross-country athlete twice. For his senior project, Bowen started the Ritter Park Christmas Lights Project in Huntington.
Sports Management is Bowen’s intended field of study at Davis & Elkins College. At Davis & Elkins College, there are around forty academic programs available. There are other scholarship options available, including the $5.4 million that the College invests in West Virginia students each year.
