Most people have a fixed mindset when they think about how students get scholarships. For many, they only ever think about someone getting a scholarship for either getting one because of their academic credentials or because of their athletic ability in a particular sport. However, people can also acquire a scholarship through the talent they have.

For Senior Nathan Wren that talent is singing. Recently, Wren earned a choral scholarship to Central Methodist University. He will study choral music education.  To get this scholarship, Wren did not necessarily do this all by himself. He said some people played crucial roles in helping him get to where he is today as a singer.

“The biggest singing influences on me have been my mom, who is a singer, and of course, my choir teachers. Since middle school, they have always been inspirations to me and have pushed me to love music and give my all to it. My musical friends have pushed me as well,” said Wren.

Choir teacher Connor Scott also agrees with Wren on how he helped him with his singing.

“Nathan is a proactive and thoughtful student, and much of his drive to be a better singer comes from himself. Outside of class, I work with him about once a week to coach is solo singing. Giving Nathan opportunities to be a soloist has also shaped his growth,” said Scott.

Choir student and senior Blaine Ward agrees with Scott about how Ward was able to help Wren become a better singer outside of school.

“He and I are co-leaders of Voice-Male (the guys acapella group), and we work together a lot in that and our Advanced Chamber choir class as well,” said Ward.

The other reason why Wren was able to get a choir scholarship to Central Methodist was because of some of the aspects of his character that helped mold him into the singer he is today.

“Being in choir has been such a great thing for me. It has given me a sort of family environment where I have met some of my closest friends. I got to know so many people that I would never have known otherwise, in a place where everyone loves to sing as much as I do, and that has been fantastic. Along with this, the choir has shown me the benefits of hard work, especially in the moments following a great concert after months of practice, where you see the faces of the audience, and the satisfied look on the director’s face, and you can see it all pay off,” said Wren.

Blaine also agrees with how he has become a hard worker as a singer in high school.

“So sophomore year, he got accepted into Voice-Male, and I offered to pick him up for practices in the morning. Eventually, we discovered that we had the same interests and goals for the choir program and we got along famously after that. He is extremely dependable, and a hard worker and I am proud to have worked with him these past few years,” said Ward.

Scott also agrees with how Wren had become a hard worker over the years and has grown into the singer he is today.

“I am so proud of Nathan! What a great opportunity he has at CMU. I am so proud of him! It made me feel excited about his future, especially because he wants to become a choir teacher too,” said Scott.