Hastings College student, Emily Spearman, Superior, Colo., has received a 2009 Fund for Theological Education (FTE) Undergraduate Fellowship. This fellowship recognizes students who have a gift for leadership and are considering ministry as a vocation.

As an FTE Undergraduate Fellow, Spearman will receive $2,000 for tuition, other educational expenses, or a self-designed experience exploring ministry. She will also attend the 2009 FTE Conference on Excellence in Ministry, June 17-21 at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va.

To receive this award, applicants from across the United States and Canada must be nominated by a professor, administrator, pastor or campus minister, have a 3.0 GPA or higher, have an interest in exploring ministry as a career and demonstrate leadership in a church or school community. Spearman was nominated for the fellowship award by Dr. Dan Deffenbaugh, associate professor of religion and philosophy at Hastings College.

Spearman was the 2009 Student Sermon Contest winner at Hastings College, and a Student Association Executive Cabinet member on the college’s Religious Organizations Committee. She is majoring in Christian Education/Youth Ministry at Hastings College.

Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students. The college was listed in the 2009 “Best in the Midwest” section of The Princeton Review’s website featuring 2009 Best Colleges: Region by Region. The school was ranked among the “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, America’s Best Colleges 2009 and rated as a “Best Buy in College Education” in the respected college guide, Barron’s.