CORNERSTONE_2017_web

ALUMNINEWS
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
MIKE GIVENS ’73
Givens holds his acceptance
letter to LWC dated June 23, 1971.
It is signed by Lindsey Wilson’s fifth
president, John B. Horton. Givens
graduated from LWC in 1973 with a
degree in science.
Alumnus Establishes
Scholarship to Help
Green County Students
Mike Givens knows first-hand what it’s like to grow up
in a farm community with few job options and not a lot of
financial resources. So when approached by Lindsey Wilson
College about funding a scholarship, he found inspiration
in his native family home of Green County, Ky., and
his own journey to becoming an LWC student.
“I had always planned to go to college, and I took all the
college-preparation classes, but my parents had nothing to
support me or my education,” said Givens. “There was no
money available in the family to pay for college, and there
were no scholarships available unless you were the salutatorian
or valedictorian. I was 18 years old with no financial
resources or even a car at the time.”
After working a temporary job, Givens had the money to
pay for one semester of tuition. But it was the support of
one particular family member that gave him the encouragement
he needed to pursue a college degree.
“I had an aunt, Mildred May Cox Givens, who was a
long-time educator,” he said. “She didn’t have any children,
but she always encouraged the Givens’ nieces and nephews
to strive to do better. She sold me a car for $500, of which I
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