2019-2020 Top Scholarships & Named Scholarships Recipients

The TKE Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of our prestigious 2019-2020 named scholarships and continue our longstanding tradition of recognizing and rewarding academic excellence.

As active members of their chapters, universities and communities, these Tekes have excelled in their pursuit of academic excellence and uphold a commitment to the values of Love, Charity and Esteem.

Please join us in congratulating these young men on their achievements in their community and campus environments!

To make a gift supporting chapter and Grand Chapter scholarships, please visit TKE.org/Donate.

2019-2020 TKE Foundation Top Scholarship Recipients

JOHN A. COURSON TOP SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Matthew Huskey
Delta-Epsilon
Cleveland State University

”Tau Kappa Epsilon is the reason I am the person I am today. I gained a family when I had none. When I needed a place to live, my brothers made sure I had a warm and safe place to live. When I needed a job, my brothers made sure I found a steady income. When my wife and I got married, my brothers were beside me and my wife to make sure we felt like we had a home. This Fraternity gave me a purpose; to help my fellow brothers in their endeavors. Tau Kappa Epsilon has benefited me more than I can ever imagine, and I owe the Fraternity everything I have and everything I will become.”

GREG & CAY WOODSON LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP  
Nick Pancheri
Alpha-Delta Colony
University of Idaho

”What made TKE stand out to me was our fraternal principles: Love, Charity and Esteem. The exact characteristics I see in my father. With these three principles, it is easy to envision how a loving, supportive fraternal atmosphere can turn good men great. I honestly believe that through the fulfillment of our central ideals, love, charity, and esteem, any man can achieve greatness. TKE has provided me with an indescribable brotherhood, but perhaps,more importantly, it has provided an avenue with which we can begin restoring the value of University of Idaho Greek Life. TKE has taught me the value of analyzing failure and incorporating the associated corrections to ensure subsequent success. I thought I came into TKE as a strong leader, however, I now realize how little I actually knew. Working to refound this brotherhood has pushed me to evolve into a better, stronger leader that is much more conscientious of those around me. The Fraternity has helped me to become a man that serves others before being served myself. As a Teke, I hope to demonstrate to students at the University of Idaho the value of Greek Life and what it means to be an esteemed man of Tau Kappa Epsilon—a man my father can be proud of.”

LON JUSTICE SCHOLARSHIP  
Max Phillips
Beta
Millikin University

”College was much more of an adjustment than I anticipated it being my freshman year. I was swamped with rigorous pre-medicine classes and baseball and golf practices, so I elected not to get that involved on campus. However, coming into this year I wanted to get as involved as I was in high school and began searching for organizations I could be a part of. Tau Kappa Epsilon was the first choice for me. I was aware of the type of men who joined and saw myself fitting right in to help the men after me to become better for a better world in turn. Brotherhood is a word that a lot of people first think of when it comes to fraternities. The bond created with your Fraternity brothers runs deeper than friendship. They become your family. They are there to lift you up when you’re down, celebrate with you at the top, and motivate you when needed. It’s a bond truly unlike any other, and it has taught me how to be selfless.”

GEORGE P. BUNDY SCHOLARSHIP  
Cason Hancock
Iota-Theta
Centenary College of Louisiana

”I set out on my Centenary experience to be the best leader I can be. With leadership comes vulnerability and shame. I have been shamed by my peers because of my decisions. I have felt lonely because I was living my truth. I have been terrified that my reality was not what it should be. Despite the shame of life, I know that the minute I am open and vulnerable to my brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon, I am welcomed with open arms. I have been vulnerable in front of my brothers but they have assured me that I am doing okay. They have supported me and lifted me to take those next steps toward my dream. They are the reality that I want and need to prosper. Through my most vulnerable moments, TKE has made me the most confident. TKE has made me more confident than I ever thought I could be. Tau Kappa Epsilon has changed me from a boy to a Frater once but consistently reminds me what that means. Being a Frater means I can do anything when I am guided by Love, Charity and Esteem. Being a Frater means I am a confident man who is supported and is never alone in achieving greatness.”

Honorable Mentions

CHARLES R. WALGREEN, JR. LEADERSHIP AWARD 
Mateo Haydar
Gamma-Theta
University of Florida

”From the offset, TKE represented a set of values on campus that truly embodied the idea that any kid--not for wealth, rank, or honor--could build the kind of community and become the kind of man that he sought to be. Despite the financial challenges and initial skepticism that I had before joining a fraternity, TKE opened its doors and gave me a tangible opportunity to build the kind of future I hoped to build. I am reminded of the story of a young Ronald Reagan, who struggled to pay his way through college and found in TKE a support system to get by. TKE has challenged me to look beyond the superfluous or the commonly accepted. TKE has pushed me to immerse myself in different communities that I might have never known even existed. TKE has challenged me to learn what real accountability looks like. I am a better friend, a better student leader, and a better man today because of TKE. As I look to the future, in everything I do, I am reminded of those same values that TKE has always stood for—I've seen it, and I hope to live it out in my own life. ”

CHARLES R. WALGREEN, JR. MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP 
SGT Jason Peart
TKE Colony 884
Benedictine University

”TKE has challenged me to be a better leader, a better friend, a teacher, a recruiter, and above all, has demanded accountability. I initially joined because I was interested in becoming more involved on campus. I wanted to get together with like-minded individuals and work together to achieve personal goals. I expected that I would be joining a well-established group; however, I joined a group that had not yet achieved colony status. At the time, we were around a dozen men hoping to establish the first fraternity on campus. In only a matter of weeks, we nearly doubled our numbers and were named TKE Colony 884. Shortly thereafter, I was elected as Hegemon. If it weren’t for the Fraternity, I would have been a lesser man for not having experienced this. I continue to be challenged in each candidate and member education class to be a better public speaker and to be a better teacher. I am challenged to be a better leader during our committee meetings. I am challenged to be a better friend—someone that my fellow brothers can rely on.”

RONALD REAGAN LEADERSHIP AWARD  
John Pruden
Xi-Tau
Lyon College

”Before I joined TKE, I had no sense of guidance. I was an incredibly anxious, ambitious and scared freshman. I knew that I wanted to have a successful career, but even wanting to go to college was a big change in my personal mindset, so I had no clue where to go after orientation was over. After becoming a brother, I felt a sense of purpose and comradery; I was with a group of guys who all believed in self-betterment, yet, I still didn’t have a sense of internal guidance. Midway through sophomore year, I was in a bad car accident, and while I was not hurt, it was a devastating financial issue for me. Through the support of my brothers, I was able to come back from it. After this, I had a lot of time for self-reflectance, and I realized that when you look at your life and identify what brings love, you get that inner sense of guidance not through external validation, but rather through understanding yourself.”

2019-2020 All-Teke Academic Team

Named Scholarship Recipients

To make a gift supporting chapter and Grand Chapter scholarships, please visit TKE.org/Donate.