Preston Edwards

If one were to guess at the background of a stereotypical Baylor student, it might look a lot like Preston Edwards'. Father a Baptist minister. Mother a Baylor graduate. A business major from Texas, with fond memories of visiting the Bear Pit on family vacations.
Edwards, however, is far from your typical 23-year-old college kid. With a semester left to go before graduation, he is already working nearly full-time as the executive director of a non-profit organization called YouthCUE that focuses on Christian youth leadership development.
"What's been really interesting is that I've been able to use what I'm learning in the business school to help me at work, and I'm using my real-life work experiences to help me with my studies," he says. "[Baylor] created that environment where I could get that job, because I was able to show this particular non-profit's board of directors that I could handle both at the same time.
"I think Baylor created an environment where the leadership opportunities I had from day one allowed me to not only grow, but allowed me to prosper here, with my character and who I am and the kind of person I am. I really found myself. I know that's a marketing term that Baylor uses, but I really found myself at Baylor. I found out who I was, and I never would have had that if it had not been for the people that were in my life, and still are, who are mentors to me and who guided me along the way, who are here at Baylor."
Edwards says that as a high school student at San Antonio's Reagan High, Baylor was as interested in him as he was in Baylor.
"The admissions counselors were wonderful. Each one [that I talked to] followed up with me. And they brought the bear down to somebody's house! Baylor does these local events; they'll bring a bunch of admissions people to somebody's house, and they'll have a party for all the local people who are interested in Baylor. That was really neat, because not only did I get to know more about Baylor, but I got to know more about the people who were in my same area who were considering going to Baylor."
Yet as much as he loved Baylor, Edwards emphasizes that the financial aid the University offered him made the difference in the end.
"As with everything else in this world, it kinda boils down to what school is able to help you out the most in terms of scholarships, at least for a person like me, coming from my background. Baylor was able to do that, and so it was hands-down as soon as they came through. I've always wanted Baylor, and they came through with the financial aid package. I had a couple of merit-based scholarships, but I also had several need-based scholarships."
Edwards received aid from the Willis Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, the C.J. "Red" Davidson Endowed Scholarship Fund, and the H. Clay Watson Endowed Scholarship Fund.
"My goal the very first chance I get out of school is to establish my own endowed scholarship to help students who are coming through the program who were like me, because that made such a powerful impact on my life, just meeting people at the [donor] banquet every year and seeing how generous they are with what God has given them. I want to do the same if I'm ever able to.
"From a very young age, it was always my dream to be at Baylor," he says. "My experience has been wonderful."