photos by Julia Moravec
Scholarship
Left to right: Max Rosa ’26, Ayden Lutes ’26, Justin Santiago ’25, Champ McCorkle ’24
“I remember immediately driving to my parents’ work to share the news after getting the call that I was awarded the scholarship,” McCorkle recalls with a smile. “We cried happy tears together. They really wanted me to go to Wabash, and the scholarship made it possible.” McCorkle has distinguished himself at Wabash through a variety of campus leadership roles and academic achievement. He’s a Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship (CIBE) senior innovation consultant; a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, math club, Spanish club, crypto club, and investment club; and founder of the new sunrise and cycling clubs. He’s also a four-year forward on Wabash’s basketball team, and was one of six players
on the 2022–23 team to receive Academic Excellence honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). This past summer, McCorkle worked as a finance intern for Eli Lilly and Company. After graduation, he plans to attend graduate school and continue studying financial mathematics or accounting. “I wanted to go to college somewhere I would be given lots of opportunities and make lifelong connections. That happened at Wabash,” says McCorkle, who was joined at the College by his brothers, Styles ’25 and Kage ’27. “The rigorous academics, the discipline that comes with being a studentathlete, the leadership with my fraternity and clubs, working at Lilly—it has all prepared me for what’s to come.”
Steve Ferguson, chair of Bloomingtonbased Cook Group Inc., has had a significant impact on the state of Indiana. From public service to philanthropy, he’s been recognized for service to Indiana University as chair of its Board of Trustees, as well as chair of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. He received an honorary degree from Wabash and is a five-time recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, the state’s highest honor awarded by the Indiana governor. He believes liberal arts colleges provide the right environment for honing leadership skills because they teach students how to assimilate vast amounts of information, critically analyze it, and communicate broadly. That’s why he and Connie created the Wabash Leaders Scholarship.
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