Three Students Nominated for Barlow Trophy
Alma College seniors James Allen IV of Harbor Springs, William Allen
of Unionville and William “Buddy” Scarborough III of Washington are the
2009 nominees for the Barlow Trophy, Alma’s most prestigious award for
a graduating senior.
Established in 1949 by Dr. Joel Barlow, a 1929 honors graduate of Alma
College, the award will be presented at Alma’s annual Honors
Convocation on Thursday, April 2.
The award recognizes academic achievement for students in the top 10
percent of their class as well as contributions to campus and
community. The Barlow winner is determined by a vote of Alma’s Student
Congress and faculty.
James Allen IV has been extensively involved with Alma College’s
Center for Responsible Leadership, Model United Nations and campus
religious life. A graduate of Harbor Springs High School, he is the son
of James III and Debra Allen. He is majoring in foreign policy with a
minor in economics.
An active member of the inaugural class of the Center for Responsible
Leadership, James Allen was a member of the Student Advisory Board and
worked to strengthen the Center’s programming. He also developed the
30-Hour Famine, a fundraising event for malnutrition through World
Vision. More than 65 students raised more than $3,300 for the cause.
His on-going interest in world hunger provided opportunities in
numerous ways, including being a mentor on Alma’s Model UN team. With
the help of Posey-Global and other scholarships, he served three weeks
in the Philippines, interned for 10 weeks in Rwanda and Burundi, and
worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food
Programme while interning at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. Agencies in
Rome.
As a student ministry coordinator for four years, James Allen organized
weekly Chapel services, led the worship band and expanded its size and
repertoire, and delivered messages. He also modeled service by leading
alternative break trips and volunteering at Community Cafe and with
other local organizations. He also is co-founder of New Life, a
student-led Christian organization.
William Allen has addressed campus disability issues, assisted
with first-year orientation, and conducted international research. A
graduate of Valley Lutheran High School in Saginaw, he is the son of
Rev. Michael and Lynda Allen. He also has volunteered with local
organizations, including Special Olympics and Relay for Life.
His commitment to campus disability issues included the development of
“Project: Able,” an effort to enhance awareness of disability issues.
He also helped coordinate Disability Awareness Week with sponsored
workshops replicating the challenges faced by the blind, wheelchair
bound and deaf. He was a campus leader in making accessibility a
priority for funding that included the development of wheelchair ramps,
power building entrances, and reduced doorway thresholds.
William Allen’s three years of involvement on the Orientation Committee
involved finding ways to enhance the first few days of the college
experience for first-year students. He led activities, mentored small
groups, built relationships and designed a leadership curriculum
focused on interpersonal communication, group dynamics and situational
training.
His international research experiences included traveling to Ecuador as
part of a Spring Term course; assisting the Foundation for the
Education of Young Women, a school for disadvantaged girls in Juarez,
Mexico; and serving as a student representative and session leader for
the Common Table Project, a bi-national effort to explore and address
environmental pressures on indigenous Tarahumaran farmers in Mexico.
William “Buddy” Scarborough III played football, taught students
in Ghana, and participated in six alternative breaks while majoring in
sociology. A graduate of Romeo High School, he is the son of William
and Christine Scarborough.
A captain of the football team his senior year, Scarborough was awarded
the Pete Schmidt Student-Athlete Award by the Michigan Intercollegiate
Athletic Association for community involvement. He also was an MIAA
second team all-conference player and academic all-district second team
honoree.
He was awarded a P-Global grant to teach English, mathematics and
environmental studies to students in the village of Denu, Ghana, for
two months in 2007. In 2008, he served a Discovering Vocation
internship with Michigan Peace Team, a non-profit organization. He
studied theories of nonviolent interventions and participated in a
domestic peace-team.
Scarborough also participated in numerous service trips on projects
related to disaster relief, inner city poverty, refugee awareness and
environmental advocacy in Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico,
Utah and Chicago. He also mentored local youth, compiling more than 300
hours of community service in one year as an AmeriCorps Michigan
Service Scholar.
Posted: Thu, March 5th, 2009 at 9:50AM
