Coolidge scholarship gives Union High junior free ride

Phillip Meng is more than a year away from starting college, and while he’s not sure which school he wants to attend, he already has the bills covered.

Meng was named a 2018 Coolidge Scholar, which gives him free tuition and room and board for four years at any college of his choosing. The scholarship, which is in its third year, is given out by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. Meng is one of four recipients to earn the scholarship this year, and one of 10 people overall to earn the award, which was given to three students in both 2016 and 2017.

Meng, 15, a junior at Union High School, said it took a while to sink in that he was one of four students chosen for the scholarship out of 3,200 applicants. He also said earning the scholarship has opened up his collegiate possibilities.

“When you take cost out of the equation, it changes how you think about higher education,” he said. “College is too expensive.”

If the past recipients are any indication, Meng, who skipped first grade, will have his choice of prestigious universities. Of the six previous Coolidge Scholars, three are attending Harvard University, one is at Rice University, one is about to start at the University of Chicago in the fall, and one is heading to Grove City College in Pennsylvania this fall, according to Matthew Denhart, executive director of the Coolidge Foundation, which is based in Coolidge’s home village of Plymouth Notch, Vt.

Meng heard about the scholarship from a friend and teacher, and went in with an “expect nothing, hope for everything” attitude, he said. He thought the application process itself was worth going for it, since all applicants have to read “The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge” and write an essay about the country’s 30th president.

“We want to do something to honor him and give people an incentive to learn more about his life, his values and his legacy,” Denhart said.

The scholarship jury looks for students who display academic excellence, an interest in public policy and an appreciation for Coolidge’s values, humility and service.

“We’re kind of against credential collecting,” Denhart said. “As it happens, a lot of our applicants are very accomplished people. We look for students who are pursuing things they really enjoy instead of things that will impress scholarships like ours.”

For Meng, that’s geography. More than six years ago, Meng started a nonprofit to improve geography education around the world. It’s now known as the International Association of Young Geographers, with programs on all continents except Antarctica, and more than 6,000 volunteers and participating members around the world.

“He’s changing the world,” Union Principal Brian Grimsted said.

Meng started the organization while attending Shahala Middle School, and the nonprofit sets up educational geography programs, competitions and seminars. Meng said that geography should be about “using an understanding of the world to solve problems.”

“We think of geography as humanizing the history of a region,” Meng said.

Similarly, it was a trip to Coolidge’s village in Vermont that helped humanize the president and his values. Finalists for the Coolidge Scholar are flown with a parent to Plymouth Notch. Meng said the rural, natural feel of Plymouth Notch, most of which is historically preserved because of Coolidge, reminded him of the Pacific Northwest. Seeing the village preserved helped Meng get a sense of Coolidge’s time there.

“History isn’t books on the page,” he said. “It’s the people.”

While there, the finalists visited Coolidge’s grave, the Coolidge Historic Site and were interviewed by the Coolidge Scholars Finalist Jury, chaired by former Vermont Gov. James Douglas.

Meng said the interview process included discussions on a wide range of topics, which he appreciated, as he said his academic interests “are all over the place.”

“British constitutional law doesn’t come up much at Union,” he said.

While Meng isn’t sure what he wants to do career-wise just yet, he has a range of interests. In addition to his geography work, he’s also worked with Union on improving graduation rates, runs the student newspaper and works with an organization in Portland to helps kids play basketball. He was also named a 2018 Washington high school honoree for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

He also wants to keep growing the International Association of Young Geographers.

“Anyone anywhere has the right and should have access to quality education,” he said.

Learning about people like Coolidge, who he praised for his frugality and efficiency, is helping Meng figure out what and what not to do as a leader.

“Drawing lessons from everyone makes you a better leader,” he said. “No individual makes perfect decisions. Every individual has mistakes and virtues we can learn from.”