Yoder/Webb Archives - 91�� News

Meet Mage and Wynter, this year’s Yoder/Webb Scholars

Ryan Cornell — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:16:38 +0000

91�� has announced its two 2026 Yoder/Webb Scholars.

The full-tuition scholarship is 91��’s highest academic award. Recipients are selected based on academic performance, community and extracurricular involvement, creativity, clarity of thought, and leadership potential.

The Yoder Scholars program was founded by Carol and Paul R. Yoder Jr., both graduates of 1963, with a significant leadership gift to endow the scholarship. Read more about their long legacy of philanthropy here.

The Webb Scholars program honors Ada Webb, one of the first African American students to attend the university, and Margaret “Peggy” Webb, the first African American graduate in 1954.

Read about the 2026 Yoder/Webb Scholars below:

Mage Shank

Major: Biology
Hometown: Mount Solon, Virginia

For first-year student Mage Shank, enrolling at 91�� was an easy decision.

The Mount Solon, Virginia, native applied to 91�� and learned they had been accepted with a generous academic scholarship.

“I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to get a better deal anywhere else,’” Shank said. “It’s local and it’s my top choice anyway, so of course I’m going to 91��.”

Shank graduated with honors from Fort Defiance High School, where they acted in the musicals each year, received an award of excellence in anatomy, and earned a spot in the all-state choir.

They had spent some time exploring the 91�� campus while their mom, Kimberly Shank MA ’24 (counseling), MDiv ’25, pursued her graduate studies. They said the university’s state-of-the-art STEM labs, along with its natural beauty and nurturing feel, led them to enroll.

“My mom has talked about how she thinks the 91�� community would be the best fit for me, and I totally agree,” Shank said.

The wealth of scholarships available at 91�� was also a major draw. In addition to the full-tuition Yoder/Webb Scholarship, Shank received the National Science Foundation S-STEM Scholarship.

“I didn’t want the stress of student loans or the cost of college to fall on me or my parents,” said Shank, who has five siblings. “If I can graduate mostly debt-free, I’ll be very happy.”

Shank enjoys photography, drawing, and reading in their free time and looks forward to joining the theater and choir programs at 91��. They plan to pursue a degree in biology.

“My main interests are in anatomy and microbiology,” Shank said. “That’s what I really enjoy, but honestly, as long as I’m working in a lab somewhere, I’ll be happy.”

Wynter Wilson

Major: Education
Hometown: Lancaster, Pennsylvania

When first-year student Wynter Wilson was choosing a college, three factors mattered most.

Of course, the school needed to offer their major, education. But it also needed to have a vibrant campus just far enough from their Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home to give them a sense of independence. And it needed to offer a culture where Wilson, who identifies as nonbinary, felt actively welcomed.

“I really enjoy faith-oriented spaces, but it can be difficult to find ones that intersect with queer-welcoming spaces,” Wilson said. “I felt that I would be welcomed and understood at 91��, and that was a really important factor in feeling safe and excited to come here.”

Wilson grew up attending a small Mennonite church. Their parents, Beverly Shirk Wilson ’97 and Keith Wilson, class of ’98, attended 91��, so the school was already on their radar. After learning about the 91�� Visit Grant, which provides students up to $4,000 over four years, and touring the “beautiful” campus, Wilson was sold.

“I thought, ‘This is it. Why look anywhere else?’” Wilson said. “I saw how special the community was, and that visit really cemented it for me.”

After committing to 91�� this spring, the J.P. McCaskey High School grad learned they had received the full-tuition Yoder/Webb Scholarship.

“It’s just kind of surreal,” Wilson said. “T��re’s such a great education program at 91��, and being able to pursue what I want without having to worry about the financials is such a blessing.”

Wilson plans to become an elementary school teacher and looks forward to joining the choir at 91��.

“I’m excited to figure out who I want to be, try new things, and meet new people,” they said. “I’m just really excited about it all.”

For the record: Bethany Chupp ’16, MA ’18 built her network at 91��

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:08:51 +0000

Editor’s Note: This profile is the fifth of six stories about students and alumni leading up to the 10th annual Lov91�� Giving Day on April 1. For more information about the day and how to donate, visit .

Bethany Chupp ’16, MA ’18 (counseling), remembers the exact moment she learned she had landed 91��’s prized four-year, full-tuition Yoder/Webb Scholarship.

While on her way to get pizza with a friend’s family, she received a call from History Professor Mark Metzler Sawin, director of 91��’s Honors program, who told her the good news. “I got off the phone and told them, ‘I just got a full ride to college,’” recalled Chupp. “T��y were like, ‘Oh my God, well, now it’s a celebration dinner.’”

That was 13 years ago. Today, the Oregon native, equipped with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an MA in counseling from 91��, runs her own private practice, , as a licensed professional counselor. She credits 91��’s graduate counseling program with helping her reach her goals.

“I feel like what it gave me, in terms of my career, was a network and a level of trust, because the program is so respected,” Chupp said. “If you’re an 91�� counseling grad, in this area, at least, it’s what gets you a job, no problem.”

Growing up in a Mennonite family, Chupp said her parents, graduates of Hesston and Goshen colleges, encouraged her to attend a Mennonite school. After visiting various colleges and universities across the U.S., she said 91�� just felt different. Its students seemed the kindest, she said, and its campus the most active. The fact that she could earn a college degree without paying a dollar in tuition, thanks to 91��’s generous donors, was just the cherry on top.

“T�� Yoder/Webb scholarship ultimately sealed it,” she said. “How are you going to say no to that?”

While at 91��, Chupp studied in the Middle East for her intercultural in 2015 and attended the Y-Serve Civil Rights Tour in 2016. Both of those experiences wouldn’t have been possible for her without attending 91��, she said.

Another unique experience offered at 91�� was the closeness she shared with her professors. “My classes were small enough that we were invited to professors’ homes for dinner, and we called them by their first names,” she said. “That’s not common. That’s something 91�� does differently.”

She continues to stay in touch with many of them. “T��y’re not just former professors,” she said. “T��y’re friends who happened to be my professors.”

For the past five years, Chupp has been actively involved in the local roller derby community. She skates as Peaches n’ Scream for The Hits, a team that competes in Harrisonburg’s . She had attended games as an 91�� student but was committed to theater. “Plus, my mom told me I couldn’t join until I was off her health insurance,” she joked. When COVID-19 put an end to her theater shows, she discovered a newfound passion on the roller rink.

“It’s a very inclusive and welcoming community,” said Chupp. “It’s a sport where every body type has a place and a purpose. There’s also something cathartic about it in that it’s curated aggression.”

Chupp has four siblings, including two alumni, Brandon ’19 and Caleb ’25. They aren’t the only Royals she may have helped recruit to campus. The longtime camp counselor and director spent many summers working at Drift Creek Camp, a Mennonite camp on the coast of Oregon. She said several former campers are now students at 91��. “When I came to 91��, I was the first Oregon student in years,” she said. “T��re was one senior and then me. And now, there’s a whole posse of them that are here.”

Since graduating from 91�� in 2018, Chupp has regularly returned to campus to attend events, meet with friends, and provide services at the counseling center.

“It’s rewarding to still be part of the community and care about it,” she said. “I think it’s easy for alumni to dismiss it as something from when they were in college, but I continue to feel invested in 91��’s success.”

Your support helps students pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 10th annual Lov91�� Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91�� students. On April 1, let’s show that our generosity knows no bounds…for the record!

For the record: Arelys Martinez Fabian ’26 found a community that cares

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Editor’s Note: This profile is the second of six stories about students and alumni leading up to the 10th annual Lov91�� Giving Day on April 1. For more information about the day and how to donate, visit .

91�� senior Arelys Martinez Fabian caught the teaching bug in first grade.

The Winchester, Virginia, native would print out math worksheets for her younger sister to complete. With a classroom of stuffed animals gathered around them, she taught her sister, then a preschooler, basic lessons in addition and subtraction.

For the first time in Lov91�� history, a new challenge will be dedicated to raising funds to support 91��’s first-generation college students.

“I’ve switched my career choices through the years, but I’ve always gone back to teaching,” said Martinez Fabian, an education and Spanish double major. “When you make a connection with students and they realize, Oh, I can do it, that’s my favorite part of teaching.”

A first-generation college student, Martinez Fabian fully immersed herself in 91��’s rich campus life. She served as co-president of the Student Government Association and as orientation leader, worked as product manager for Common Grounds Coffeehouse, and held leadership roles with the Latinx Student Alliance (LSA). She also served as a student representative on the Interim President Search Committee last spring.

It’s difficult for her to imagine herself anywhere other than 91��. That wasn’t always the case.

During her senior year at Millbrook High School, she learned she had been accepted to the University of Virginia. It was her lifelong dream school. The decision should’ve been an easy one.

“At the same time,” she said, “I kept seeing signs that I should attend 91��.”

High school teachers would unexpectedly mention 91�� in passing. A coworker at her day care job shared how impactful her own 91�� education had been.

When 91�� accepted her and offered its highest academic award, the four-year, full-tuition Yoder/Webb Scholarship, the choice became clear: she would become a Royal.

Looking back, she’s sure she made the right call.

She believes 91��’s nationally accredited teacher education program has prepared her well for the realities of the classroom. As a student teacher at Bluestone Elementary in Harrisonburg, she spent the first week of school last fall observing how teachers set rules and expectations.

91��’s small class sizes have allowed her to form close relationships with professors. She said she has always felt comfortable seeking their guidance and support.

During recent immigration-related crackdowns across the country, Martinez Fabian, who has relatives from Latin America, said professors regularly checked in with her to make sure she felt safe.

“I knew I could go to them for support,” she said. “I was able to get through some tough times because of them.”

Your support helps students like Arelys pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 10th annual Lov91�� Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91�� students. On April 1, let’s show that our generosity knows no bounds…for the record!

Meet Zainab and Kayden, this year’s Yoder/Webb Scholars

Ryan Cornell — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 09:00:00 +0000

91�� has announced its two 2025 Yoder/Webb Scholars.

The Webb Scholars program honors Ada Webb, one of the first African-American students to attend the university, and Margaret (Peggy) Webb, the first African-American graduate in 1954.

Applicants were tasked with creating a 400-word conceptual response to the prompt, “T��re are three types of people in the world; which are you?” through the medium of a blank 3”x5” card in whichever way they chose.

Read about the 2025 Yoder/Webb Scholars below:

Zainab Kamran

During her senior year of high school, Zainab Kamran, a psychology major from Lahore, Pakistan, had spent two to three months researching different universities in the U.S. She had come across the Wikipedia pages for James Madison University and the city of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Those pages naturally led her right to 91��. “I liked what I read about the school, but then I forgot all about it,” she said.

When her older brother, who graduated from Pacific Lutheran University, mentioned that an economics professor of his (Ryan Swartzendruber ’16) had graduated from 91�� and “loved the experience,” Kamran resumed her search. “I started to dig deeper and was fascinated by 91��’s focus on community and service because those were things I was involved in,” said Kamran. The school’s small size, which allows for closer connections and meaningful one-on-one interactions with professors, was also a major draw, she added.

While at International School Lahore, Kamran was president of the Community Building Society club and organized volunteers to serve free meals to those in need. On Christmas, she helped pack and distribute more than 60 gifts for Christian orphans in Lahore. She was also involved as a publication director of events on campus and collaborated with a professor on a research paper. She received the Director’s Award for Community Building and the Director’s Award for Research and Publication.

Kamran said she’s excited to take part in service- and art-related activities and clubs on campus and that she’s found a welcoming home at 91��. “T�� people here are so friendly,” she said. “91�� has such a diverse international student population. I’ve met students from Ethiopia, Kenya, India, and Afghanistan, and it’s been a lot of fun meeting them.”

Kayden Beidler

Kayden Beidler, a nursing major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the latest in a long line of family members to attend 91��. His older sister, Miranda Beidler, is a senior; his parents, Lyle Beidler, class of ’98, and Melissa Spory Beidler ’98, met and began dating while 91�� students; and his aunt, Marcy Spory Weaver ’08, graduated from the university’s top-tier nursing program.

With so many personal connections at 91��, the school automatically made his list of colleges to consider. But, he still had to decide for himself. When Beidler visited 91�� during an Admitted Student Day and spoke with a nursing professor, he came away thoroughly impressed with the quality of the program. “T�� way she described how 91�� teaches nursing really resonated with me,” he said. “Seeing those values of caring for others reflected not just in the major I want to study, but also across the college, made me think, ‘This is where I want to be.’”

A National Merit Scholarship finalist this year, Beidler received National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for his story submissions in 2022 (Honorable Mention) and 2023 (Gold Key Award, American Voices nominee). He was also selected to participate in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Regional Chorus Festival. Beidler, who has joined the 91�� University Choir, was involved in all 12 of his high school’s theater productions during his four years at Lancaster Mennonite High School, and served as editor of the school’s literary arts magazine.

Beidler said he wanted to attend a college that aligned with his values of community, living intentionally, caring for others, and caring for the world. “91�� checked all those boxes,” he said. “Visiting those other schools only made me more certain that 91�� was the right fit for me.”

Why they Lov91��: Forced to leave one home, Anne Cornelius ’26 found another at 91��

Ryan Cornell — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:58:00 +0000

Editor’s Note: This profile is the third of six about students and alumni leading up to Lov91�� Giving Day on April 10. For more information about the day and to donate, visit .

Three years ago and about 8,600 miles away in Yangon, Myanmar, Anne Cornelius ’26 boarded a plane and left the only home she had ever known.

Escaping the ravages of a civil war that tore apart her country, she and her family sought asylum in the U.S. A kind host family from Maryland welcomed them in, and Cornelius soon adjusted to life in America. She learned that a close friend from her home city, Rachelle Swe ’21, had just graduated from 91�� and was working there as an admissions counselor. Cornelius decided to pay her friend a visit and take a campus tour of 91��.

She never imagined attending a college, let alone one in America. Her family wasn’t exactly flush with cash, especially after uprooting their lives to settle in a new country.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of donors through the Yoder/Webb Scholarship, Cornelius could attend 91�� without paying a dollar in tuition. The four-year, full-tuition scholarship is 91��’s highest academic award offered to a select few honors students each year.

“I’m really grateful for the scholarship,” Cornelius said. “It is the only way I could come to school at 91��.”

Her friend in admissions introduced her to other international and Burmese students. These days, Cornelius, a sophomore majoring in international business and business analytics, has plenty of friends and plenty going on.

She is vice president of marketing for the Student Government Association, a digital media ambassador for undergraduate admissions and is a community assistant for her residence hall. Cornelius also does her part in recruiting future Royals; she talks to students back in Myanmar and encourages them to apply to 91��.

She might have been forced to leave one home, but she found another at 91��.

“I love the community here,” she said. “Everyone’s so caring. I love how quickly I was able to fit in.”

Your generous support helps students like Cornelius pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 8th annual Lov91�� Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91�� students. Let’s build 91�� “Stronger Together.”

Read the previous profiles in our Why they Lov91�� series:

Why they Lov91��: Garrett Nyce ’25 says 91�� ‘just feels like home’

Why they Lov91��: Royale Parker ’26 found the perfect match as a Royal