Wheaton College Student Awarded SCIO Alumni Prize

Sophia Breeding ’27 was awarded the Spring 2026 SCIO Alumni Prize, which is given to the top-performing student in a semester at Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford (SCIO) in Oxford, United Kingdom. 

Sophia Breeding ’27 received a prize for her exceptional academic performance at SCIO, a research and educational institute and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities’ UK subsidiary. SCIO offers two study abroad programs for undergraduates, one during the summer and the other during the fall and spring semesters. The institute also organizes pedagogical projects and manages and supports scholarly research.

The prize was funded by Geoffrey and Caroline de Jager, who fund SCIO’s alumni and academic prizes. The de Jagers have a longstanding commitment to encouraging excellence in education and scholarship.

“I was honored to receive the alumni award and pleasantly surprised,” Breeding said. “I felt that my hard work during the term paid off and hope to encourage other Wheaties to do this program if they have a true passion for literature or the arts and an openness to trying new styles of learning.”

During her semester at SCIO, Breeding enrolled in two tutorials, which are one-on-one meetings with professors that focus on independent learning and argumentation, and a British culture course.  She chose Charles Dickens as her special author and primary tutorial and China Since the 1930s as her secondary tutorial. Breeding chose British Culture, History, and Politics as her British Culture Course. She also conducted a research project throughout the four-month semester, culminating in a 6,000-word essay, which is one of the pieces she is considering publishing from her time at SCIO.

“I learned how to become a more efficient reader and writer, as there would be times when I was writing almost 5,000 words a week,” said Breeding. “The most important thing I learned was that one person can’t know everything about a subject or author. The humility and teachability of all my tutors inspired me throughout my tutorials and research project, and I felt less intimidated than expected when I first began.”

Breeding will graduate next May with a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing and Political Science and a Pre-Law Certificate. She previously participated in Mock Trial on campus and is now involved in the Pre-Law Society.

After graduating, Breeding hopes to work as a paralegal while studying for the LSAT and applying to law schools. She is also considering taking courses at the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge.

—Juliana Bacote