Collin Whitney, a senior at Searcy High School, has been awarded the Williams Baptist College Trustee Scholarship. The future Christian ministries major is the son of Brian and Jana Whitney of Searcy.

The Williams Trustee Scholarship is awarded to at least one applicant each year and covers tuition, room and board. This four-year scholarship is given to a freshman with a composite score of 30 or higher on the ACT and a minimum grade point average of 3.5.

Whitney said choosing WBC just seemed like the natural thing to do. “After visiting the campus, it seemed like all the chips fell into the right place. I really thrive in a community-like atmosphere and after receiving the scholarship, going to Williams was just affirmed as a sign of God’s will,” he noted.

Andrew Watson, director of admissions at WBC, said he looks forward to Whitney being on campus. “I am very excited for Collin to get to school this August. He was definitely the right fit for such a prestigious scholarship. He is a natural-born leader and I can’t wait to see him excel and grow over the next four years.”

Whitney added that he is looking forward to the 13-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio that the college boasts. “It is really important for me to have access to my professors,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the relationships that can be built due to that smaller class setting.”

“I’m also ready for that family feel that I wanted in a college, and I know I’ll get it at Williams. Above all, I think WBC is the right place to grow my faith.”

Williams is a four-year, liberal arts college at Walnut Ridge.

Photo: WBC’s Director of Admissions, Andrew Watson (back left), and Assistant Director of Admissions, John Mayberry (back right), pose with Collin Whitney (middle), his mother, Jana Whitney and father, Brian Whitney, at a ceremony held at Searcy High School.