ZUNI—Judson Alphin hopes to one day become the president of a college.

A non-profit educational organization is helping him get there.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute in Wilmington, Del., recently awarded the 28-year-old Zuni native a scholarship valued at $40,000 to $50,000 to pay for his doctorate studies at Oxford University in England.

“I was just thrilled and feel immensely blessed,” said Alphin. “Here I am, a farm boy from Virginia. Zuni nonetheless, and I’ve had a chance to see the world and interconnect with cultures and the best minds out there.”

“I realized along the way that where you grow up never leaves you,” he continued. “I can be 5,000 miles away in Oxford, and Zuni is still home to me.”

His father, Rex Alphin, couldn’t be prouder.

“He’s been pursuing his goal for years and for someone to see some value in that and come along and help him, from a father’s point of view, is tremendous,” said Rex Alphin. “It takes a little bit of weight off his shoulders.”

Also the son of Debra Alphin and grandson of Bob and Juanita Alphin, all of Zuni, Judson Alphin graduated from StoneBridge, a private high school in Chesapeake.

He received degrees in history and political science from Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Alphin received about $30,000 to attend Hillsdale, where he remained after graduation for two years to serve as the assistant director of admissions.

In 2008, Alphin left for University of St. Andrews in Scotland, thinking his chances of getting into Oxford would improve by attending the prestigious European school. It took him one year to completed his master’s in military history with a focus on British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Alphin began his doctorate work at Oxford last September. He hopes to complete his degree by 2012. The scholarship should cover tuition and fees for next year and hopefully the following year.

Alphin returned to Zuni on Wednesday night for a four-day visit with family before heading to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the summer. He will work for Summit, a Christian-based organization devoted to bringing high school and college students in front of the best Christian minds in the nation.

As for Alphin reaching his ultimate goal of becoming a university president, his father has no doubts it will happen.

“He’s very goal oriented and can often achieve what he sets his mind to,” Rex Alphin said. “He’s young and sets his sights pretty high.”

Judson Alphin knows his career goal will take him away from his home in Zuni, but he hopes to return.

“I want to come back to the farm, back to my roots and spend my last days where I spent my first days — reading, writing and enjoying all that a farm can bring.”

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