Second place went to Laura Behrendt, who graduated from Centre College in Danville, Ky.
Both winning essays, as selected by a panel of Presbyterians leaders, will be published this fall in the 2010 Outlook Guide to PC(USA)-Related Colleges.
“I think it’s important to live your faith in a way that you’re proud of,” Blake told the Outlook. “It’s not enough to just hope or wish something or even just to pray.” A recipient of the prestigious Harry S. Truman Prize (two members of the President Obama’s cabinet are counted among past recipients), he wrote the essay in part to honor his parents. Both his father, who used to work for the Presbyterian Foundation and the Bicentennial Fund, and his mother, a hospice nurse, “have had such a big role in informing who I am and how I want to serve and use my career intentionally to do the work of God.”
Through Davidson’s international studies programs he has lived and studied in France plus four South American countries. His essay testifies to the lessons learned both overseas and while engaging in community outreach programs he served off campus. Richmond also had an active on-campus life, serving as class president.
The essay also reflects on the interdisciplinary nature of his classes. “Through a liberal-arts curriculum that has included such diverse courses as ‘Issues in Religion and Science,’ ‘International Finance,’ and ‘Human Rights,’ not only have I learned to write and to analyze complex problems, but I have also found that a career in the diplomatic corps will enable me to address the international economic and social issues about which I am most passionate.”
This summer he is working in the operations center of the U.S. State Department. While there he will be monitoring world events and preparing daily briefings for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In the fall, he will enter the Kennedy School at Harvard to pursue a master’s degree in public policy, focusing on international and global affairs.
“I’ve been given certain opportunities,” he explained. “I want to use them in a way that would please God or make God most happy, and for me that’s improving the political and economic situation for people around the world.”
Laura Behrendt earned her degree in anthropology and sociology, with a minor in religion. Later this summer she will begin a one-year term of service among needy children with Americorps, hopefully in New York City. She looks forward to the prospect of attending graduate school at a later date.
Behrendt is a preacher’s daughter times two – mom is pastor of First Church in Denison, Ohio, and dad is pastor of St. John United Church of Christ in Walnut Creek, Ohio. She participated in campus ministry programs, including Centre Christian Fellowship and the “Get Centred Program” at First Church on the campus.
“Going to Centre was the best decision I could have made for my college career because of the small classes and special attention,” she reflected. “It opened my eyes to a lot of new experiences, studying abroad, working closely with professors, opened my eyes in lots of ways.” She did study abroad in Brisbane, Australia, for a summer, and for a semester in Strasbourg, France.
Along with the upcoming publication of their essays, the Presbyterian Outlook Foundation has awarded Blake $1,000, and Behrendt $200.
