Simon Morgan Russell Scholarship

Profile of Past Winner, Raven Begell-Long

Profile by: Alyissa Horn '21

Just last year, Raven Begell-Long was in the midst of her senior year, and with it entailed the ever so stressful college search process. Yet, there was something about Bowling Green State University that felt like home to Raven. In fact, there were a multitude of things that led her to choosing BGSU, including being close enough to family as well as the strength of the programs at the university. Like many students, Raven is still in the process of determining the perfect major for herself, and Bowling Green gave her the opportunity to explore a multitude of majors without feeling like she would be left behind in the search process.

At the forefront of a lot of student’s minds though, is the cost of college. For Raven, one of the greatest things that Bowling Green offered was both a study abroad scholarship (the Honors Experience Scholarship) as well as the Dean Simon Morgan-Russell Scholarship in Arts and Sciences. The latter scholarship is awarded to up to four incoming students to the honors college, all of whom have to have a 30 or above on their ACT as well as a major within the College of Arts and Sciences.

The scholarship meant that she could spend extra time getting involved on campus and potentially studying abroad. When asked what receiving this scholarship meant to her, Raven said that it meant that she could focus more of her energy on those activities beyond just tuition and room and board. The scholarship meant that she could spend extra time getting involved on campus and potentially studying abroad. Right now, Raven hopes to study abroad at an Art School associated with BGSU in Florence, Italy. Having already been to Italy, she knows that it has a rich art culture, but as a current Studio Art Major, she knows that that the art culture in Florence is so rich, and there are so many things that she hopes to still see.

In learning more about Raven outside of her studies, she hopes to one day potentially open her own business where she could combine her love for painting with an interest in business. She has big dreams, which encompass using art in ways that some people could not imagine. Raven says she has an interest in social justice, immigration and women’s issues. She feels that, in combining art with entrepreneurship, she could start a career working with people who are incarcerated, people dealing with addiction, or people dealing with domestic violence, just to name a few, through art.

Outside of school, Raven’s career goals are echoed in her commitment to volunteering within the community. This past summer and through previous summers, she has volunteered as a teacher’s aide at the Toledo Museum of Art. She also worked for ‘Camp Fearless,’ which is a camp for children who have lost family members.

On campus, Raven says that she has spent the first semester learning more about herself by focusing on her studies and deciding on a specific major. Currently, she is double majoring in Studio Art and Sociology, but she thinks that an individualized program where she could design her own major may be a better fit for her future career aspirations. She has also gotten involved with Honors Scholars.

 As a student who lives in the Honors Learning Community, Raven said that she loves being surrounded by a group of people who enjoy learning just as much as she does. She also said that having classes and living with the same people have helped her develop some of her greatest friendships so far.

            In meeting with Raven, she is a student who is dedicated to both her studies as well as her goal to help make the world a better place. Having received the Dean Simon Morgan-Russell Scholarship in Arts and Sciences is helping her to achieve that goal, and I predict that the things Raven will do in the next four years at Bowling Green State University will truly be great.