by Rebecca Sneed
Two Hannibal-LaGrange University students, Emily Henry and Elizabeth Henry, were recently selected as recipients of the prestigious De Jager Award in recognition of their exceptional academic performance in the 2015 Oxford Summer Programme sponsored by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). Emily and Elizabeth spent a portion of last summer studying at Oxford University in Oxford, England, after they were admitted into the CCCU’s Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford (SCIO) program. The Hannibal-LaGrange students were two of only five students to receive the de Jager prizes.
Dr. Stan Rosenberg, executive director of the SCIO program praised the Hannibal-LaGrange students for their academic efforts: “Elizabeth and Emily were very welcome additions to the programme, showing outstanding application and ability.” According to Rosenberg, the de Jager prizes were established to honor select students who demonstrate excellence in education and scholarship.
Emily and Elizabeth Henry are sisters who are currently enrolled at Hannibal-LaGrange University. Their attendance at Oxford was connected with Hannibal-LaGrange’s honors program. “It was a dream come true for me to have opportunity to study at Oxford through SCIO,” said Emily. “I cannot say enough about my tutors and fellow students who challenged me intellectually, spiritually, and culturally. Getting to experience all of it with my sister was a plus. I was honored to be chosen for the De Jager Award and am grateful to everyone who made my experience a fantastic one!”
Elizabeth commented, “It was really kind of intimidating going to study in Oxford less than a month after graduating high school. The program was meant to challenge you both academically and spiritually. This meant it was difficult and strenuous at times, but it did cultivate a lot of personal growth for me. The whole experience was worth it. I was both surprised and honored when I found out I had received the De Jager Award because the other students that participated in the program were all incredibly talented and intelligent.”
SCIO is the United Kingdom subsidiary of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), an international association of intentionally Christ-centered colleges and universities with 119 members in North America and 55 affiliate institutions in 20 countries. Only five attendees of the summer program received the award.