TodayGelbaugh wins full ride to Wofford College
He follows fellow CHS student Matt Lane, who won it two years ago.
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When Corey Gelbaugh applied for the Richardson Family Scholarship to Wofford College last year, he didn’t think he had a chance of winning.
For one thing, said the Carlisle High School senior, there were at least 250 other applicants for the scholarship, which offers a full ride and more to the independent liberal arts college. For another, fellow CHS graduate Matt Lane won the scholarship just two years ago, so why would Carlisle land another winner so soon?
But, Gelbaugh said, when Bryan Lane, Matt’s father, encouraged him to apply anyway, he decided to do it. To Gelbaugh’s surprise, he made it through the first round of interviews, then was one of six finalists who were flown to the South Carolina campus for a second interview.
Last Thursday, the college announced that Gelbaugh had been named the winner.
“I was like, ‘Are you serious?’” said Gelbaugh, who is the son of Mitch Gelbaugh and Mike and Denise Eschenmann and estimates that the scholarship is worth about $160,000. “It’s pretty unbelievable.”
In addition to free tuition, Gelbaugh said, the scholarship includes a trip overseas, a laptop and tickets to a Carolina Panthers game each year. That last perk is an extension of the fact that Jerome J. Richardson, who established the scholarship with his wife and children in 1989, is the principal owner of the NFL team.
“I love football,” said Gelbaugh. “I just don’t play it.” But the scholarship does focus on sports, and Gelbaugh is a varsity member of the CHS basketball, golf and track teams.
His other activities include the Victory Circle Dance Team and membership in the National Honor Society, German National Honor Society, Interact Club, Big Brother/Big Sister, Young Life and his church youth group. An AP scholar and National Honor Roll student, Gelbaugh received the Silver Key in Scholastic Writing and was part of a team that went to the State National History Day Championship. He also received the Student Athlete Award in the Blackhawk Boys’ Basketball Tournament, and is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars.
At Wofford, Gelbaugh said he plans to study math and run track. He described the campus, which he has visited three times, as “pretty small,” adding that it is possible to walk everywhere on campus.
Gelbaugh said he applied to 11 schools but decided ahead of time that if he won the scholarship, he would take it.
According to the press release issued by the college, at least one Richardson Scholar is chosen in each entering class. Selection criteria includes moral force of character; strong family commitment; instincts for leadership; energy and inclination to use one’s talents, as evidenced by participation in sports and/or other active hobbies; scholarly accomplishments; and evidence of courage, sense of duty, unselfishness, and concern for others.
About 1,250 students are enrolled at Wofford College, which was established in 1854 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
