ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS TO TWO ATHLETES
HOUGHTON,
N.Y.
– The Houghton College Alumni Association has awarded
$500 scholarships to two Houghton student-athletes
for the 2005-2006 academic
year.
Andy
Walton (Emmaus,
Pa.
/ Emmaus)
has received the Alumni Association Sports Ministry Award
and
Daniella Knapp
(Schooleys
Mountain,
N.J./
West Morris)
has received
the Alumni Association Champions of Character Award.
Walton is a
junior midfielder
on the Highlander men’s soccer team. In addition to the contributions he has
made
on the field, he has been actively involved in using his sport as a platform
for sharing the Christian message. He has participated in sports ministry
trips to
Japan,
Thailand, Romania, and Mexico, and will be joining his teammates in the
Czech
Republic
later this month.
“Soccer has
been an important part of Andy's
life and college experience, but it doesn't compare to his passion for using
soccer as a means of ministry,” said head coach Matthew Webb. “As a leader on
our team, Andy has set the example of what it means to not only use soccer as
a tool for evangelistic ministry in the international community, but also to
use it as a means of demonstrating a Christ-like attitude to those he plays
with and against here at the college.”
Knapp is a
sprinter on the Houghton track and
field team, participating in the 100 and
400 hurdles
and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Away from the track, she has stayed
active in numerous volunteer capacities, including
Special Olympics and team work trips to inner-city
Buffalo.
She has also assisted a local family in caring for their son with Down’s
Syndrome. Knapp draws on her experiences of caring for her own sister, who
also has Down’s Syndrome.
“Danie is a
person of the highest integrity. She
does
what she says she will do and is one of the hardest workers I know. Her sense
of responsibility is beyond
expectation, even for college students
of her age,” said
assistant track coach Trini Rangel. “Danie is also the one I can always count
on when there is a special project that needs to be done, especially if it is
a service project of some sort. Danie is very solid in her faith and
convictions and her actions consistently reflect her words.”
The Houghton
College Alumni Association exists to connect alumni to the College and to
each other, to provide valued services to members, and to support the
College’s mission of providing
an academically challenging Christ-centered
education in the liberal arts and
sciences to students
from
diverse traditions and economic backgrounds
and
equipping them to lead
and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.
Houghton College
has deep
and
solid
roots in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where our
teams use their commitment to excellence, both on the field-of-play
and
in the classroom, as a platform for their strong and
unique emphasis on Sports Ministry. Their goal is to make a
difference
for the Kingdom
on campus, in
Allegany
County,
in the Northeast and
around
the world.
Houghton is one of only 13 institutions who have been hand-selected
by the NAIA to serve as "Champions of Character" Program Centers, opening the
door
for Houghton to be a leader,
both in the Northeast and
nationally, in character education.
Through hands-on,
innovative community outreach initiatives, Houghton coaches and
student-athletes
are working together to change the culture of sport and
to change our culture through sport.
