Top Choice
A dozen teenagers in nametags sit waiting, some nervous, knees bouncing beneath their desks. At 9:30 a.m. that Friday in April, Father Robert Scholla takes a seat among them. After introducing himself as a faculty fellow, he picks up the assigned text and asks for their thoughts about it. One young woman, hand raised halfway, speaks right up. Then another chimes in: "I would add to that…." The competition, polite but intense, is on. Nearly 50 high-school seniors have come to Santa Clara University seeking a prize. Already admitted here but still deciding where to enroll, they are finalists for the Johnson Scholars Program. The university annually selects 10 incoming freshmen it believes will become bold, big-hearted campus leaders. The chosen 10 get a full ride. Study-abroad opportunities. A summer stipend for an internship, research, or service. As scholarships go, it’s a treasure, one that eases financial burdens, confers privileges, and crowns recipients with a sense of purpose.