February 25th was just like any Monday for Bethel Park Senior Stephen Barnhart. Whilst practicing in his orchestra class, he was pulled from the class and into a room where his family was waiting for him along side Dr. Zeb Jansante and Class of 2013 counselor Ms. Lorri Smith. After asking a series of questions, Stephen was then informed he had earned a full academic scholarship from Seton Hill University located in Greensburg, PA to pursue a degree in Education.
“It has definitely made my decision easier,” said Barnhart who held out on making a commitment between Seton Hill and Grove City College. “The college application process can be a bit overwhelming but this makes it easier.”
For the application, Stephen needed a letter of recommendation, wherein he received two: one from English Department head and teacher Mr. Youngs and one from Latin teacher Mrs. Conrad. He also needed to write an essay which had the prompt, “Address your dreams to study education.”
“I really long for and [I am] passionate about education,” said Barnhart. “It’s a calling. A pursuit to help other people and it’s beneficial to society.”
Stephen plans to major in the Liberal Arts, specifically English or Social Studies and become a teacher. He is ambitious in his goals of teaching; he wants to teach everyone.
“I want to try everything, but mostly high school or even college. I want to try it all, except maybe kindergarten.”
When asked about his inspiration on teaching and his lofty goals he points to a quote from St. Francis that he always remembers, “Saying is one thing, doing is another.”
