4th Annual Montaigne Scholars' Winners Announced

On the weekend of February 13 and 14, thirty-five competitors from around the county vied for two full and two half-tuition scholarships to Shimer College during the 4th Annual Montaigne Scholars’ Competition. Over the four years in which the scholarships are renewable, a full-tuition scholarship can save the winner over $100,000.

The Winners of the 4th Annual Competition are:

Matthew Kawahara, a senior at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship. He is a champion debater placing second in the national UC Berkeley competition when he was only a sophomore. Matt chose to attend Montaigne this year instead of competing in the 2010 UC Berkeley debate competition.

Bryan Maddox, a senior at School of the Woods High School in Houston, Texas, has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship. School of the Woods is a Montessori high school that teaches classes in the dialogical style. Bryan cannot wait to attend Shimer where he hopes to talk more with his peers about his passion for Austrian economic theory.

Marla Douma, a 2009 graduate of Principia Upper School in St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a half-tuition scholarship. Marla moved to Chicago last year after graduating from high school. She visited Shimer last year during the Montaigne Scholars weekend but instead of attending, she opted to take a year off before returning to compete in this year.

Renee Meschi, a 2003 graduate of Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois, has been awarded a half-tuition scholarship. She is thrilled to have found Shimer after taking courses at a local community college. Renee is no stranger to the Great Books—her Grandfather has a large collection of classics that he has been sharing with her since she was a young girl.

Prior to arriving on Shimer College’s campus for the Montaigne Scholars’ Competition, each competitor read an essay by Michel de Montaigne, a 16th century French writer who popularized the essay. Performance in the competition was judged on two counts: an essay written in response to Montaigne’s work and participation in a discussion held in Shimer’s unique seminar style. Any student who completed an admission application was eligible to compete.