UPDATE: 2014 Ron Paul Scholar – Matthew McGuire

By: Matthew McGuire
April 9, 2015

Dear Campaign for Liberty Foundation donors,

This coming week will be my last at Crandall University for the year. With regards to academics, I have been able to make significant progress, maintaining a GPA above 4.0. Through the various lectures, research projects, and readings at the university, I have been able to sharpen my overall scholastic abilities to a greater level than at any point in the past. I am especially looking forward to the next year of my B.A., as I will be eligible to enroll in the certification program for Teaching English as a Second Language.

Beyond these academic opportunities, a number of extra-curricular groups and activities have been a regular part of my first year in university. On campus, I was part of the relatively small Cross Country team during the Fall semester. Off campus, I have been part of a team of volunteers organized by a particular professor. We are able to visit and work at homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation institutes, and nursing homes. It has been a true privilege to participate in these activities, as I have made a number of friends among both the volunteers and people we go to visit.

As a reflection on these ministry opportunities, I take joy in stepping up to fulfill some of the needs in our city. While the some of the organizations received a portion of the city budget, they are, for the most part, funded and operated by volunteers. Instead of the state coercively gleaning money from certain members of society to solve to problems of others, we are able to meet such needs in both goodwill and free volition. This principle is a microcosm of what I believe a free society could look like on a large scale.

As the 2016 Presidential race begins to shape up, the excitement and energy that motivated me to participate in Ron Paul’s campaign is starting to ignite once again. These next two years are going to be especially important; the American Presidential race is already among the common topics in the hallways of my Canadian university. With Rand Paul’s announcement this week, I look forward with great enthusiasm at what will become of the liberty movement. I hope to help move our and Rand’s message of freedom forward in whatever way possible, whether that be at home or online.

To all of you donors who have made this year possible for me, I want to thank and express my great appreciation. All of the above experiences and progress that I have mentioned above were truly a result of your generosity. I thank all of you for believing in the value and importance of higher education. As much as is possible, I will continue putting by best foot forward in both my studies and my ministries in the following years of my education. As the summer approaches, my family and I feel a great relief knowing that my first year was completed debt-free. Despite my jobs at the university and at home, this would not have been otherwise possible without having received the 2014 Ron Paul Patriot scholarship.

Matthew McGuire
2014 Ron Paul Patriot Scholarship award winner