Duane Bonifer  |  Published March 05, 2022

Connecting to Campus

Admiral’s Scholar Abigail Herring impressed with the strong relationships forged between Monmouth students and faculty.

MONMOUTH, Ill. – Appleton West High School senior Abigail Herring received some very good news on a recent visit to her godmother’s house.

Herring received a phone call from Monmouth College Assistant Director of Admission Brock McNinch, informing her that she had been named one of two Admiral’s Scholars in Monmouth’s Class of 2026.

ABIGAIL HERRING: I got a few handwritten notes from professors at the school, which was really h... ABIGAIL HERRING: “I got a few handwritten notes from professors at the school, which was really heartwarming for me. I felt like I was recognized as more than just a number.”Admiral’s Scholars receive a full-tuition scholarship worth more than $160,000 over four years at the national liberal arts college. They also get a $5,000 academic enrichment fund.

“When he told me, I was kind of just in shock, because it’s not every day that you get that amount of money awarded to you from a college.” said Herring, of Appleton, Wisconsin. “So I felt speechless.”

Herring said she was impressed with the “connection I felt with Monmouth.”

“The students knew their teachers really well, and the teachers cared about their students a lot,” she said. “I got a few handwritten notes from professors at the school, which was really heartwarming for me. I felt like I was recognized as more than just a number.”

An honor student, Herring has been involved with numerous school activities. She’s a four-year member of the Appleton West volleyball team, serving as team captain the last two seasons. She’s also a four-year member of the varsity track and field team, competing in the throwing events and likely to be a team captain this season.

Herring has been on her school’s future problem solvers team and has participated in Badger State Girls Choir and chamber choir. A member of the National Honor Society, she’s volunteered with Feeding America as well as at her local dog shelter.

Herring plans to major in art at Monmouth and also be a member of the College’s volleyball and track and field teams.

“I’m really looking forward to being part of the Monmouth intercollegiate programs. I think that’s going to be really fun,” said Herring. “And I’m also looking forward to working in the foundry. That’s one of the most unique things I’ve seen in the art departments of the colleges I looked at. I also got a chance to use the VR (virtual reality) headset when I visited the College, and I’m really excited to work with those.”

Monmouth’s Admiral’s Scholarship honors the late Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, a member of Monmouth’s Class of 1946, and his late wife, Sybil. A Medal of Honor recipient for his service in the Vietnam War, Stockdale was later president of both the Naval War College and The Citadel, and he was a longtime fellow of the Hoover Institution.

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