Students from 48 high schools interview for university’s prestigious John B. Begley Scholarship.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (02/09/2026) Dr. Kate Durham Young ’18 says that Lindsey Wilson University deserves a lot of credit for her academic and professional success.
That’s why she spent part of her Saturday morning serving her alma mater.
Young was one of 17 Lindsey Wilson alumni who returned Saturday, Feb. 7, for the university’s annual John B. Begley Scholars Day. The alumni joined select university faculty, staff and students who interviewed 65 high school seniors from 48 high schools in five states and three countries. The students competed for three John B. Begley Scholarships that will be awarded to members of the university’s Class of 2030.
Created in 1997 to honor John B. Begley, Lindsey Wilson’s sixth president from 1977-97, the Begley Scholarship is one of the more prestigious scholarships in Kentucky higher education. Begley Scholars receive a full-tuition, room-and-board scholarship plus an unparalleled cultural enrichment experience. At least one returning Lindsey Wilson student is also named a Begley Scholar each spring.
After she graduated from Lindsey Wilson, Young attended dental school at the University of Kentucky and is now a captain and dentist in the Army.
“When I think of Lindsey Wilson, I think of myself being a big fish in a small pond,” said Young, an Adair County native who was a double major in biology and psychophysiology with a minor in chemistry at Lindsey Wilson. “I was one of those people who really needed a lot of help to get to where I am, and Lindsey made sure I had all of the right things.”
Coming home
Sisters Laura Egnew Davidson ’03 and Lindsay Egnew Gibson ’09, both of Russell County, Kentucky, have volunteered at almost every Begley Scholars Day since they graduated from their alma mater, which was then Lindsey Wilson College.
“Lindsey is home,” said Laura Egnew Davidson, who taught English for 12 years at Russell County High School and is now in her 11th year as a counselor at the school. “It’s family. It’s a place where I see wonderful people, people who poured into me, so the least I can do is come back and help with the scholarship that changed my life.”
Lindsay Egnew Gibson, who taught math at Russell County Middle School before also becoming a counselor, said that being a Begley Scholar “was one of the best experiences of my life.”
That’s why she and her sister are especially proud whenever a Russell County student is named a Begley Scholar.
“It’s wonderful to see kids from Russell County experience something so enriching as the Begley scholarship,” said Lindsay Egnew Gibson.
Lindsey Wilson’s supportive family atmosphere was something student Connor Wilhoit ’27 said he experienced from his first encounter with the school.
Wilhoit, who was named a Begley Scholar as a returning student, said that “Lindsey Wilson became a place of relief” for him.
“From the start, admissions staff and professors didn’t just ask where I wanted to go — they asked who I wanted to become,” said Wilhoit, a psychophysiology and history double major from Campbellsville, Kentucky, with career plans to become a physical therapist. “A simple question from a professor about my favorite era in history made me feel seen.”
In his keynote address to prospective students and their family members in the university’s Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center, Wilhoit said that Lindsey Wilson is a “life-changing” place that is “full of people and opportunities that can guide your growth — if you take the chance to engage.”
“I learned that value shows up in relationships, in opportunities and in the way you begin to see yourself differently over time,” he said. “There is no place like home, but there is also no place like Lindsey Wilson.”
Shaping the world
Law students Jarrett Napier ’24 and Jackson Logan ’25 assisted at their first Begley Scholars Day as alumni.
Logan, who is a first-year law student at the University of Louisville, said that he took a break from studying the law to meet with prospective students and their family members because “it’s really important to give back.”
“The Begley Scholarship is a phenomenal opportunity for young students to experience what Lindsey has to offer,” said Logan, who was a social science and political science major at Lindsey Wilson. “I want to make sure this process goes smoothly, and if I can help assist another student to have that type of experience I’m here to do so.”
Napier, who is in his second year of law school at the University of Kentucky, said that helping interview prospective Begley Scholars is an opportunity to “help shape how the program develops and foster a network for it.”
It’s also a good opportunity to tell prospective students, especially those who aspire to attend law school after Lindsey Wilson, the benefits of a liberal arts education.
“You can’t overstate the importance of a liberal arts education for law school because you have so many different classes that cover so many different areas of the law,” said Napier, who was a business administration major with an emphasis in accounting at Lindsey Wilson. “A liberal arts education really prepares you for that and makes you a well-rounded student heading into law school.”
Laura Smith Dyer ’09, who grew up in Glasgow, Kentucky, returned for her second Begley Scholars Day as a Lindsey Wilson alumna. She said that being named a Begley Scholar gave her “a chance to see the world.”
“I want to see more students from this area have the same opportunity I did and see the world,” said Dyer.
Lindsey Wilson University student Connor Wilhoit ’27 of Campbellsville, Kentucky, delivers the keynote remarks at the university’s John B. Begley Scholars Day on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the Robert D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center. Wilhoit is a psychophysiology and history double major with plans to become a physical therapist.
Adair County native Dr. Kate Durham Young ’18 was among the 17 Lindsey Wilson University alumni who helped interview students at the university’s John B. Begley Scholars Day, held on Saturday, Feb. 7. The scholarship competition attracted 65 high school seniors from 48 high schools.
Shelby County (Kentucky) High School senior Laura Lauer, left, learns about Lindsey Wilson University’s choral program during the school’s John B. Begley Scholars Day on Saturday, Feb. 7, at an academic forum in the Robert D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center. Speaking to Lauer are Lindsey Wilson Director of Choral Activities Jennifer Bersaglia, center, and Begley Scholar Anna Kate Alexander ’29 of Glasgow, Kentucky, who is a Begley Scholar and a member of the Lindsey Wilson Singers.
Lindsey Wilson University President William T. Luckey Jr. speaks to guests at the university’s John B. Begley Scholars Day, held on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center. The scholarship competition attracted 65 high school seniors from 48 high schools.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)