UCF freshman Hayden Denmark always had an interest in cars.
Growing up, he would watch episodes of the popular BBC entertainment motoring show “Top Gear” with his Dad.
“That is probably one of the things that got me into motorsports,” Denmark said. “My dad and I would watch that all the time.”
He is finishing his first semester at the University of Central Florida, where he studies mechanical engineering. One of five students to receive the Florida United Methodist Foundation’s Sinclair Scholarship in 2024, Denmark is on the first stage of a race to one day join a Formula One racing team.
During high school, he leaned more into sports and thoughts of a career in sports marketing before pivoting back to the automotive world his junior year. He would go on to dual enroll in an automotive program, taking both his normal coursework and specialized auto classes.
“I really want to build these high performance vehicles and be a part of this,” Denmark said. “I want to be a Formula One engineer.”
A member of Saint Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando, Denmark remains connected to his home church, where his father serves as minister of congregational life.
Denmark appreciates how his church is uniquely positioned to welcome all kinds of people for worship and fellowship.
“As a United Methodist, we have all different kinds of people that come in …. It’s really opening, welcoming,” Denmark said. “I love that aspect of our church because I feel like that’s how everyone should be as people in the community, welcoming, accepting no matter what.”
About the Sinclair Scholarship
The Sinclair Scholarship supports the spiritual and academic development of college-bound first-year students. Scholarship amounts cover up to $3,000 per year and can be renewed for four years.
The scholarship was established by Aleen and Carson Sinclair, longtime members of John Wesley United Methodist Church in Tallahassee, and is administered by the board of the Florida United Methodist Foundation.
Since 2001, the Sinclair Scholarship has provided over $884,183 to 92 number of students.
Bringing social responsibility to the workplace
William Holden, a first-year student at Florida State University, feels humbled as he shares his gifts in the praise band at his school’s Wesley Foundation.
Though not a music major, he finds himself surrounded by world-class talent in the praise band, as many students are part of the FSU College of Music, a school that routinely ranks in the top 20 in the United States.
“At Wesley, like half of everybody is a music major,” Holden said, “so it’s like super high level.”

Holden’s experience at FSU is shaped in more than one way by the Florida United Methodist Foundation, both as a 2024 recipient of the Sinclair Scholarship and as a member of the Wesley Foundation at FSU, whose new building was made possible by a competitive, low-interest loan of $2.5 million from the Foundation.
Holden is a quick one minute walk from fellowship, worship and community activities in the revitalized new building.
“It’s an incredible building. It’s so awesome,” he said. “My dorm is right across the street from the building, so it’s super easy.”
Holden’s intended field of study is finance, and he’s on track to formally join the program in the FSU College of Business next fall. With that plan, he routinely finds others have their preconceived notions of his intended path.
“Everyone has their stereotypes about others, and I feel like I run into that a lot,” Holden said.
Instead of putting profits over people, William looks to apply his unique perspective, informed by his Methodist upbringing, to bring more compassion and social responsibility to the financial sector.
“I feel like there’s a balance between being business minded, people minded,” Holden said. “And I think especially, you know, coming up, faith background. It’s important to find a balance… without sacrificing your people’s needs and just bringing a more compassionate attitude towards that source.”
Nadia Krejcha hones artistry, shares musical gifts
Nadia Krejcha, a 2024 recipient of the Foundation’s Sinclair Scholarship, poses for a photo with the Flagler College mascot, Lewis the Lion.
First-year student Nadia Krejcha saw the appeal of the smaller class sizes at Flagler College in Saint Augustine.
As she begins her studies in fine arts with a minor in music, Krejcha realizes how small class sizes have been paramount in helping her refine the technical aspects of her artwork while asking new questions about the creative concepts she explores.
“In my arts class, I think there’s only 15 of us in that room, but that’s honestly really great,” Krejcha said. “And one of the reasons why I chose that college is because I wanted that one on one with teachers and professors.”
Outside of class, she enjoys walking the galleries of downtown’s Aviles Street, the heart of the the city’s arts district.

“Saint Augustine as a whole is definitely a very artsy, expressive city,” Krejcha said.
Also hailing from St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Orlando, she has found a new home at St. Augustine’s Grace United Methodist Church, where she leads worship songs on Sundays. It’s her way of connecting with her faith and musical gifts.
“At my home church in Orlando, Saint Luke’s, I was very involved in the praise team and singing and meeting in church,” Nadia said. “Moving to Saint Augustine, I really needed that. … And everyone’s been so supportive of someone new coming in and joining — it’s been great.”
Her transition to college life has brought about growth and reflection on her faith, as she moves from the comfort of her hometown church to a new environment.
“Now that I’m on my own here, I think it’s really let me reflect and grow in my personal journey,” Krejcha said.
Krejcha looks forward to next semester, when she will take more classes in her major and a music class. All while enjoying a campus that was the right fit for her.
“I’m just glad for the Florida United Methodist Foundation,” Nadia said. “I was able to be given this amount to help me be here, because I would not be here without. It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m just so grateful.”
Conner Ellis
Entering college can be a disorienting experience for some. For Conner Ellis, he found the adjustment easier than expected at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, where he studies sports management with a minor in psychology.
He attributes the ease of this transition to two things.
“It was faith and sports,” Ellis said. “The faith and the people and the sports have really kept me going.”
Attending a men’s bible study group on camp helped him get connected to both. An open invite from another attendee prompted him to get involved. A few texts later, and he was in.
“I’ve basically played every sport that we’ve had so far,” he said.
That list includes basketball, flag football, bouldering, sand volleyball, cornhole. Next up is pickleball.
He’s also been active in Florida Southern’s Beyond campus ministry, which holds a weekly gathering for worship.
Like Krejcha, Ellis felt his faith grow as he transitioned to college. Getting involved in the church became an intentional decision to keep faith at the center of his life.
“I think [my faith is] starting to grow a little bit,” Ellis said, “just because now that I’m on my own and independent … Now, it’s just me on my own and it’s my choice,”
Before graduating, Ellis hopes to get involved in Winshape Foundation, which holds day camps for Christian youth during the summer. While it competes with his desire to spend time back home in Stuart with family, it’s a vision he keeps returning to.
“I feel like I’m being called there,” Ellis said.
One lesson he’s picked up outside the classroom relates to stewardship and the cost of education, both of which are intertwined with being a recipient of the Sinclair Scholarship.
“I think I’m being a little extreme when I say, if I didn’t have the Sinclair Scholarship, I wouldn’t be here,” Conner said. “But it would definitely be a lot harder to cover if I didn’t have it. … And starting out life in debt is not great.”