By Mavis Fodness
Last year Columbia University received more than 40,000 applications, including one from 2019 Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Josie Scholten.
The elite school accepts only 6 percent of its applicants — this year 2,200 students — including Scholten, who received a “Congratulations” email this spring.
“I started bawling in my car,” she admitted.
“It felt like a cage door just swung open; the future that I begged and bartered for with late nights, extra workloads and difficult sacrifices was finally being not only recognized but celebrated. I haven’t stopped feeling giddy since.”
Parents Kraig and Kristi Scholten supported their daughter’s goal “to follow your dreams.”
Former Columbia University students include Barack Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and one of the nation’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton.
Ironically, lyrics from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical, “Hamilton,” sparked Scholten’s desire to work in theater as a career choice.
She saw Columbia University’s School of the Arts as the best place to learn.
“I feel I have a lot of potential to do a lot in my life,” she said.
However, it’s rare that someone from southwest Minnesota would be invited to study at the elite Ivy League school.
Entrance essay, letters made positive impact
Each applicant to Columbia University is asked to answer eight essay questions and supply three letters of recommendation for admittance.
The university’s undergraduate admissions webpage explains why so much written communication is needed from each applicant.
“We read personal statements to try to understand each candidate and what motivates them,” the website stated.
“We read teacher recommendations carefully to understand a candidate’s contribution in the classroom and what that candidate might offer their Columbia classmates.”
Scholten chose three people who work in education to write letters of recommendation — Cody Henrichs of Luverne, Teri Richards of Steen and Jacquie Lonning of the Twin Cities.
“The three adults in my life who wrote recommendations in particular made me feel that my dreams were possible and genuinely worth pursing,” Scholten said. “I couldn’t have done this without people like that on my side.”
Richards is the social studies/Spanish instructor at Hills-Beaver Creek and was Scholten’s teacher for the past six years.
Scholten graduated from H-BC in May as valedictorian of her 18-member class. The small school environment and community allowed Richards to know Scholten on many levels.
“In my estimation the most important quality possessed by Josie is her intellectual curiosity,” Richards wrote.
“Whether it is her avid interest in theater, music or learning, Josie is relentless in her drive to identify, learn and immerse herself in experiences which she judges to be important to her development. … She is a natural collaborator.”
Scholten’s ability to lead groups became apparent in the Blue Ribbon 4-H Club and her selection as a Minnesota State 4-H Ambassador in 2017-18.
Lonning leads the 28-member state ambassador program through the University of Minnesota Extension, and Scholten was asked to train incoming state ambassadors for the 2018-2019 4-H year.
Scholten’s talent for communicating both orally and in writing caught Lonning’s attention.
“We selected Josie to address nearly 750 alumni and donors of one of our signature programs, with less than an hour of preparation,” she wrote. “Following her comments, several attendees commented on her impressive stage presence and ability to articulate a message.”
Spark for life’s passion found in waiting room
One of Scholten’s college entrance questions asked about one accomplishment, event or realization that sparked a period of personal growth.
Scholten wrote that while other young people seemed to have a direction, she struggled to answer the question, “What do you want to do with your life?”
A song heard while in a health clinic waiting room while her mother finished work pointed her in a direction she wasn’t expecting.
The song, “Aaron Burr, Sir,” opens the Broadway musical “Hamilton.”
Captivated by writer Miranda’s use of rap to tell a musical story of Alexander Hamilton, Scholten repeatedly listened to the cast recordings.
“Each word and melody incited emotions of intensities I didn’t realize I was capable of,” Scholten wrote.
“I felt free from the borders of my small town — free to explore other worlds, to experience the universe through new eyes, to understand the minds and hearts of individuals I never knew could exist.”
Theater, she realized, was her direction, purpose, meaning, and the reason to wake up in the morning.
At H-BC she embraced several extracurricular activities that focused around the performing arts: band, choir and jazz band.
Through 4-H she started a performing arts club and earlier this spring she formed “Royal Playhouse Children’s Theatre,” a youth theater and arts education program.
She saw moving outside her small town roots was key to fulfilling her dreams of working in theater.
“It’s vital that my college community is diverse and inclusive,” she wrote. “Columbia has certainly demonstrated their dedication to giving every student a chance to succeed and fulfill their goals.”
Students helped by university to cover tuition
Tuition for Columbia University was $54,504 for the 2017-18 academic year, according to CollegeCalc.com.
Room and board is estimated to be an additional $13,000.
Columbia tops the website’s list called “Expensive 100 Ranking.”
Scholten said Columbia University officials told her they want the college to be financially feasible for all its students and they have a “no-loans policy.”
Teacher Richards’ insight into the cost of college was evident in Scholten’s letter of recommendation.
“Josie is one of those very few young people who is not to be overlooked in the allocation of scholarship dollars as she truly will be an asset to whichever institution she decides to attend,” Richards wrote.
“She will enrich the world around her wherever she lands; of that I am sure.”
Scholten leaves for New York and Columbia University in August.