Waynesburg University has selected Acelan Laughlin as a 2026 recipient of the esteemed Founders Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees in full. He is the son of Marquis and Theresa Laughlin. A homeschool graduate, he plans to study Entrepreneurship beginning this fall.
Laughlin has participated in an array of academic programs including Veritas Press, Gideon Study Center, Salt & Light Homeschool Co-Op and WriteAtHome.
Outside of school, Laughlin has acted for the Salt & Light Co-Op, played basketball for Plants and Pillars Co-Op and mentored other youth through Christian Service Brigade. In February 2026, he won Best Monologue in the Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest in Pittsburgh.
During the summer, Laughlin serves as a Christian Youth In Action Missionary in the Beaver County area. He participates in the Rochester School District’s Good News Club during the fall and spring. Throughout all seasons, he seeks opportunities to minister to his community, whether through preaching God’s word in a local church or delivering cookies to a new neighbor.
“Everyone is made with unique gifts and talents,” Laughlin shares, “But those gifts are only worth perfecting if we are in a relationship with our creator who loves us deeply.”
Founders Scholarship
The Founders Scholarship is a full tuition and fees scholarship awarded to a select group of high-academic performing first-year freshman students.
To learn more about other first-year freshman scholarships, click below.
