A very resourceful Abilene High senior earned a huge financial head start to college when she learned her submission for the Hardin-Simmons University/KRBC, “Free Ride� scholarship competition was chosen as the winning entry. Kathryn Holland, a future violin performance major, beat out over 25 extremely creative entries from as far away as Colorado.

A scene from Kathryn Holland's "Free Ride" video

The judges, representing HSU’s Enrollment Services and Marketing departments, announced the selection live on a remote KRBC broadcast Wednesday, May 23, on the HSU lawn. Holland receives a one-year full-ride scholarship to HSU valued at $16,050 for her inspired production. “When contacted after the announcement, Holland said, “I just can’t believe it! I really had no idea I could actually win.�

Graduating high school seniors were given the challenge to craft a 60-second video with the theme, “Why I’m Right for HSU.� “Kathryn’s video integrated everything we were hoping for from the entries for this contest,� said Leland Harden, HSU’s vice president for Institutional Advancement and one of the judges, “She was able to weave a persuasive presentation very effectively into the context of the theme while displaying creativity, high production value, wit, and planning.�

Holland already has a good feel for HSU; she’s the private student of Dr. Peter Isaacson, assistant professor of Violin at HSU, “I’m thrilled for her, she’s talented, bright, and a very hard worker.�
Her Abilene High School (AHS) orchestra instructor, HSU alumna Darcy Radcliffe, is delighted, “Kathryn is an incredibly talented and creative student who really blossoms when she does something outside the box like this. It’s so gratifying, as a teacher, to see her acknowledged in such a spectacular way.�
Holland is the third chair violin in the AHS Orchestra, a member of the All-Region Orchestra, and performs with the AHS fiddle group, “Revolution, which recently cut a CD and performed on National Public Radio.

The contest was a win-win situation says Amanda Etter, HSU marketing director, “This is a great service by KRBC, and an awesome opportunity for high school students to contribute to the energetic atmosphere of our campus. Prospective students can begin to feel connected, be a part of the creative environment that makes our University unique, and now one has won a full tuition scholarship for a year. We wanted students to show us why they are ready to be a part of the “Forty Acres,� and that they are more than just a name on an application.�

You can view Kathryn’s winning video at: http://reporternews.com/news/2007/may/23/ahs-senior-wins-hsu-free-ride-contest/ Just copy and paste the address into your browswer window and enjoy.