The Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) of Mennonite Church USA has announced the recipients of its inaugural Scholarships for BIPOC Students.

Josué Coy Dick, junior from North Newton, is one of five awardees. The scholarships were created to support students who: identify as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color; are members of or active participants in a MC USA congregation; and are attending or plan to attend a Mennonite college, university or seminary partnered with MEA.

Coy Dick was born in Guatemala and grew up in North Newton. He has roots in the Mennonite community in south-central Kansas and in the Maya Q’eqchi community in Coban, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

At Bethel, Coy Dick is studying Bible and religion, peace and conflict, and music performance. He is a member and attendee of Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton, and says he feels “called to serve others and live alongside the marginalized.”

The Scholarship Selection Committee was impressed with the talents and dedication of the applicants. “We were looking for BIPOC church leaders, and they showed up!,” they wrote in a group statement.

“These scholarship recipients are leaders on their campuses and actively involved in their congregations. We are excited to support them in their education.”

The other recipients of the 2023 scholarships are one undergraduate studying at Goshen (Ind.) College and three pursuing graduate degrees at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind.

MEA Executive Director Michael Danner offered congratulations and encouragement to the award winners.

“I'm a strong believer in the high-quality Anabaptist education offered by AMBS, Bethel College, Bluffton University, Eastern Mennonite University and Seminary, Goshen College and Hesston College,” he said. “We hope this scholarship makes that education more accessible to some BIPOC students.”

Scholarship applications for the 2024-25 academic year are due April 1, 2024. More information can be found at www.mennoniteeducation.org/schools/mea-scholarship-forbipoc-students.

Tax-deductible contributions to the scholarship can be made online by going to https://www.mennoniteeducation.org

and clicking the Donate tab, or sending a check to Mennonite Education Agency at 3145 Benham Ave., Suite 2, Elkhart, IN 46517, memo: BIPOC Scholarship.

MEA is the education agency of Mennonite Church USA, headquartered in Elkhart, Ind. MEA partners with Anabaptist Mennonite educational institutions and programs affiliated with MC USA to strengthen the church through education.