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2021 UNY Lottie Brown Scholarship recipients announced

May 4, 2021 / By Shannon Hodson / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Each year the Upper New York Annual Conference College Scholarships Committee offers Lottie Brown Scholarships for undergraduate students who are intending to enter a career in Christian service. This year’s recipients are Katie Allen, Nicole DelConte, Amethyst Gardner, Rachel John, Jonathan Smith, Samuel Smith, and Dakota Stott.

Katie Allen, attending her third year at Houghton College, is majoring in Theology. Though she is uncertain what career she will be pursuing, she does know that it will be in some form of ministry; she said, “I have come to fully embrace that my first priority is to work in service to God.”

Nicole DelConte attends Cornell University; she plans to pursue a career in Agricultural Education. She said, “I selected a career in agriculture because I have a passion for the work of tending to God’s creation, growing, nurturing, and producing. I also feel this career lends itself to many opportunities to serve others…I believe that careers in agriculture serve God because farmers are given the great responsibility of tending to God’s creatures, and both literally and figuratively of feeding God’s sheep."

Amethyst Gardener attends SUNY Oneonta, where she is studying education. Amethyst said, “Teaching is the ultimate career in Christian service; I will remember that while Jesus taught formally; it was his leadership by example that taught moral and ethical lessons.”

Rachel John attends Sacred Heart University where she is studying nursing and global health. As a person of color, Rachel aspires to increase minority representation in the STEM fields. She said, “Currently, there are many practices in healthcare that are discriminatory against minority groups. I will work to extinguish those practices.”

Jonathan Smith will be a first-year student at college thhis fall. They hope to become a professor and a deacon. They said, “In college, I plan to major in history and sociology with a goal of teaching in the college setting. I also feel called to become an ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church and use my education as well as my faith to help mold future generations in both the academic and church settings.”

Samuel Smith, Jonathan’s older brother, will continue his studies at SUNY Potsdam, majoring in history. Samuel, who is planning for a career in ministry, said, “Whether it be in a local context or in the General Church, our past and our traditions are a part of who we are. Understanding our history, acknowledging the sins of the past as well as the triumphs, is crucial in moving forwards towards Christian Perfection.”

Dakota Stott is majoring in Youth Ministry and Psychology at Eastern University. She is preparing for a career in youth ministry and pastoral counseling. While at Eastern, she has been invited as a guest preacher at an inner-city church and has also been offered a paid internship at one of the Methodist churches in the area. Dakota said, “I feel that I am on a very good path to grow not just in my faith, but my future as well.”

It is scholarships like the Lottie Brown scholarships that enable our young people to fulfill the path God is calling them to take. We ask that you keep each of these scholarship recipients in your prayers as they begin their steps to careers where they will continue to serve God.