TWO STUDENTS WIN ROTARY SCHOLARSHIPS
Chaise Cope
Two IU South Bend students have been selected as recipients of the 2013 Rotary District 6540 Summer Study Abroad Scholarship. Lowell Ritter, a business major from Elkhart, and Chaise Cope, a political science major from Bremen, were selected following written applications and panel interviews. Only two scholarship winners were selected from a pool of applicants recommended by the 55 Rotary clubs in Northern Indiana. The scholarship funded up to $7,000 in study abroad expenses. The Rotary seeks out students who are prepared for the challenge of serving as outstanding ambassadors of goodwill. The scholarship program supports the mission of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. Cope and Ritter participated in a study-abroad program in Oaxaca, Mexico. They studied language, history, culture, and society at the Institute Cultural Oaxaca. They took weekend field trips to archaeological sites, museums, and major cultural events to get a better understanding of the Mexican culture. Oaxaca City is the capital of the state of Oaxaca, one of the most diverse in Mexico with villages that retain strong Zapotec and Mixtec indigenous influences.
Upon returning from Oaxaca, Cope and Ritter will give presentations to Rotarian members and other civic organizations, and remain active with their host Rotary club. Elizabeth Bennion, director of IU South Bend’s American Democracy Project, says she is thrilled that Rotary recognizes the outstanding leadership qualities of the two scholarship recipients. “Lowell Ritter did an outstanding job as the American Democracy Project’s Service Learning Fellow during the fall 2012 semester, getting the campus started with large-scale, allcampus service projects. Cope has continued this commitment to excellence, most recently organizing a Cesar Chavez Day diversity reading program that brought college students into primary and intermediate classrooms in eight local public schools to teach about the positive difference an individual can make in the lives of others. Both Lowell and Chaise are already ambassadors for our campus as they work to build partnerships between the university and the larger community. They were ideal candidates for this scholarship and our campus is thrilled that the Rotary recognizes their potential in the field of international diplomacy.” Cope and Ritter left for Oaxaca on July 5 and returned August 3.
Lowell Ritter
BOLLENBACHER CHOOSES UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LAW SCHOOL Zak Bollenbacher, a recent veteran of the United States Navy will soon be embarking on an exciting law school career. Immediately upon his honorable discharge, Zak enrolled at IU South Bend, majoring in economics, and has achieved a 4.0 GPA. After months of study and a 97th percentile LSAT score, he was accepted to Duke and Virginia law schools and at the time of this writing, waiting to hear from Stanford, Northwestern, and UC Berkeley, all
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considering his application. He plans on using his future knowledge of the law to help improve the legal prospects of small business under attack from large corporations. Zak has since chosen to attend University of Virginia School of Law