Every year during the Spring semester, Whitworth hosts a few Honors scholarship weekends. These weekends are times in which highly motivated students are invited to stay at Whitworth. During the weekend, the invited students give a speech, participate in a discussion group, and write an essay in hopes of winning a full ride scholarship or a runner-up $1,000 a year scholarship. 

This spring, one of the winners of the full-ride scholarship was Alexander Leonida, or Alex. He is currently a senior at Moanalua High School. 

Alex applied to Whitworth based on a teacher’s recommendation and the fact that Whitworth was in Washington state. Once accepted, he attended the Honors scholarship weekend to get a taste of what life would be like if he chose to come to Whitworth. 

“Fortunately,” he said, “I felt extremely welcomed by everyone I encountered and enjoyed the warm scenery of the campus.”

During the Honors scholarship weekend, Alex said his favorite memory was when he woke up on a floor in a sleeping bag. He heard his roommate snoring from across the room. “I laughed aloud, which ended up waking him up,” Alex said. 

He also appreciated all the friends he was able to make of all different ages during the Honors weekend. At one point, he remembers “eight or nine of us sat in a half circle speaking on the detrimental effects of technology in our current world.” 

“This was one of my favorite moments because I was able to participate in a discussion with smart, well-mannered individuals who not only spoke to get their point across but also to gather feedback from others…although we didn’t agree on everything, everyone was willing to consider what the other side had to say.” 

“I was happy to be part of, not a debate, but a conversation,” he remembered. 

When Whitworth called to let Alex know that he was the winner of the Honors scholarship, he said he remembered being “overjoyed. After being informed, I immediately called my parents to let them know. My mom nearly started crying.” 

Alex will enter Whitworth in the fall of ‘23. He plans to major in computer science, and is considering double majoring in engineering. 

Some of his hobbies include playing games, writing poetry with friends, and creating music.  “My favorite artist at the moment is an Icelandic artist named Laufey,” he said. 

The musical instruments Alex is most interested in are the saxophone, guitar, ukulele, and piano. 

Alex looks forward to being connected with the Honors program and Whitworth’s campus life when he arrives in the fall.