Christopher McCrackin ’20 Earns Prestigious Beinecke Scholarship Christopher McCrackin ’20 has won a $34,000 Beinecke Scholarship to help fund his graduate studies.

By Erica Turman
April 18, 2019

Washington and Lee University junior Christopher McCrackin ’20 has won a $34,000 Beinecke Scholarship to help fund his graduate studies. McCrackin is double majoring in classics and English, with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance studies.

The Beinecke Scholarship is highly competitive, with approximately 135 universities allowed to nominate one candidate per year. Each scholar receives $4,000 immediately prior to graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. McCrackin plans to use the Beinecke Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in either comparative literature or English, with a focus in early modern studies.

“Winning the Beinecke Scholarship has not only validated the time and effort I have put into my education, but also the time and effort the W&L faculty and administration have put into my scholastic and personal development,” said McCrackin. “I think that a large part of the development of my character is determined by the community that I have chosen to surround myself with.”

After he earns his master’s degree, McCrackin plans to earn a doctorate degree in English, with an emphasis in early modern drama and poetry. He plans to teach at the college level.

“My time at Washington and Lee University participating in many different departments, such as classics, English, Medieval and Renaissance studies and art history, has taught me to approach a topic from many different angles and synthesize many different perspectives in my own argument,” said McCrackin. “To me, literature goes hand in hand with topics, such as history and art, and, by taking a wide variety of classes, I have a deeper and wider understanding of the time period that I hope to focus on.”

Established in 1971, the Beinecke Scholarship Program created an endowment to provide scholarships for the graduate education of students of unusual promise. The program encourages their pursuit of opportunities available in the study of the arts, humanities and social sciences.