Washington and Lee University Johnson Scholarship Program 2014 Annual Report

The Johnson Scholarship Program 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Introducing the Class of 2018

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116

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A STATUE OF A TOGA-CLAD GEORGE WASHINGTON

(known

affectionately as “Old George”) was carved by Lexington craftsman Matthew Kahle in 1844 from a log found floating in the nearby Maury River. It stood atop Washington Hall until 1990, when it was replaced with a replica for preservation purposes. Visitors can view the original in W&L’s Leyburn Library.

— the 2014 johnson scholarship program — The Johnson Scholarship Program has drawn widespread attention to Washington and Lee from the world’s top student leaders. The 5,801 students who applied for admission represented 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and 98 countries. In its academic record, citizenship and leadership experience, the 472-member Class of 2018 is among W&L’s most accomplished—thus far.

The following pages introduce the newest Johnson Scholars, whose personal stories, accomplishments and aspirations set them apart as leaders within W&L’s distinguished first-year class. Other updates in this year’s Annual Report include exciting plans for the physical spaces of W&L’s campus, as well as news about the two Johnson professorship holders, the Johnson Lecture Series and last summer’s Johnson Opportunity Grant recipients, whose summer experiences were as remarkable as they were varied.

ARTIST’S RENDERING

of the new apartment neigh-

borhood for upper-class students, planned for construction soon

Frances Abbott

Steven Allen

Halifax, Va. Chatham Hall

Kings Mountain, N.C. Gaston Day School

William Archie

Michael Barry

Kinston, N.C. Arendell Parrott Academy

Northport, N.Y. Northport High School

Brett Becker

Benek Bolohan

Camp Hill, Pa. Trinity High School

Raleigh, N.C. Millbrook High School

WASHINGTON AND LEE IS MAKING BIG PLANS to improve housing

choices for upper-class students and to ensure that all firstyear students, sophomores and juniors will live on-campus in University housing.

The new residence halls will be located in a new campus neighborhood with apartment-style housing designed specifically for upper-class students. They will emphasize independent living, but will preserve and enhance the close-knit, residential character of W&L. Only a short walk from the central campus, the new neighborhood will include common green spaces, dining options and gathering spaces indoors and out, as well as areas for outdoor activities and recreation. Individual units will probably include four to six single bedrooms with full kitchens.

The University will also build a new, state of the art natatorium as part of the new housing neighborhood. With a 25-meter stretch pool plus diving well, this part of the project is an initial step toward the planned total renovation of W&L’s indoor athletic and recreation facilities. Collectively these projects represent the University’s ongoing commitment to ensuring its students enjoy the highest quality residential experience.

THE NEW UPPER-CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD on campus will include spaces

for dining and gathering, plus a state-of-the-art natatorium.

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Alice Elisabeth Bradford Matthew Bryson Birmingham, Ala. Altamont School

Tucson, Ariz.

University High School

David Carson

Stephanie Chung

Roanoke, Va. Patrick Henry High School

Goodyear, Ariz.

Millennium High School

Kendyll Coxen

Andrew Cuthbert

Redington Shores, Fla. Seminole Senior High School

Petersburg, Va. Collegiate School

OVERALL, THE CLASS OF

2018 includes 157 presidents of major

student organizations, 65 class or student body presidents or vice presidents, 64 publication editors, 241 varsity team captains, and 31 who are the first in their families to attend college. These traditional accolades only hint at the qualities of curiosity and diligence evident in this class made up of independent thinkers and conscientious citizens.

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ARTIST’S RENDERING of

the new Center for Global Learning, slated

CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CENTER

labs. It will feature an atrium,

FOR GLOBAL LEARNING at Wash-

garden, courtyard and interna-

ington and Lee University is

tional tea shop to encourage

underway and on schedule for

student and faculty interaction

completion prior to the 2016

and provide a venue for special

academic year.

events and exhibits.

The $13.5 million facility, con-

In addition to spaces for learn-

necting 8,600 renovated square

ing and gathering, the center

feet of existing duPont Hall with

will contain W&L’s foreign lan-

17,700 square feet in a new

guage departments, offices for

building, will house classrooms,

visiting international scholars

seminar rooms and instructional

and the Office of International

for completion in 2016

Audrey Dangler

Dana Droz

Nicole Eldred

Rowan Farrell

Easley, S.C. Easley High School

Lancaster, Pa. Veritas Academy

Anchorage, Alaska South Anchorage High School

Berea, Ky. The Culver Academies

Rachel Gallagher

Justin Gillette

Thomas Grist

Ralston Hartness

Grand Junction, Colo.

Grand Junction High School

Naperville, Ill. Naperville Central High School

Lexington, Va. Rockbridge County High School

Chattanooga, Tenn.

McCallie School

Courtney Hauck

Claire Hoffert

Shlomo Honig

Kiera Judge

Beaverton, Ore. International School of Beaverton

Two Harbors, Minn.

Two Harbors High School

West Bloomfield, Mich.

Walled Lake Northern High School

Landenberg, Pa. Kennett High School

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Education. Groundbreaking

opportunities that already ex-

technologies planned for the

ist at W&L to integrate global

center will connect Washington

learning more fully into the edu-

and Lee with other students and

cation of all students. Currently,

faculty around the world and at

about half of the student body

its university partners abroad.

studies abroad or performs an international internship.

The center will be the physical

Research takes professors and

manifestation of the university’s

students overseas, and stu-

strategic plan for international

dents representing citizenships

education. It will reach beyond

in 58 countries attend W&L.

the traditional study-abroad, ARTIST’S RENDERING of

internship and faculty research

the public courtyard of the new Center for Global

Learning, slated for completion in 2016

Juliana Keeling

Tara Loughery

Maren Lundgren

Julie Malone

Glen Allen, Va. Mills E. Godwin High School

Roanoke, Va. Hidden Valley High School

Billings, Mont.

Skyview High School

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls High School

William McMurtry

Alexandra Meilech

Rebecca Morris

Rebecca Orsak

Ft. Wright, Ky. Covington Catholic High School

Phoenix, Ariz.

Sunnyslope High School

Nashville, Tenn.

Harpeth Hall School

Bellaire, Texas Bellaire High School

THE GIFT THAT ESTABLISHED THE JOHNSON

Professor Nicolaas Rupke is Johnson

PROGRAM FOR LEADERSHIP AND INTEGRITY also

Professor of Leadership and the His-

established two endowed professorships

tory of Ideas in the College. A native of

at Washington and Lee.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Rupke was trained in earth sciences at Groningen and

Professor Jeffrey Shay is Johnson Professor

in marine geology at Princeton University.

of Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the

An expert on the history of science, Rupke

Williams School of Commerce, Economics,

recently organized an international sym-

and Politics. As director of the J. Lawrence

posium that took place on the Washington

Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship, Shay has built several signature

and Lee campus entitled Historical Myths About Science. The papers

programs for the center that capitalize on W&L’s successful integration

presented at the gathering will compose a book tentatively titled

of business education with traditional liberal arts disciplines.

“Newton’s Apple and Other Historical Myths about Science.”

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Karishma Patel

Kristen Phlegar

Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Mountain Vista High School

Mount Pleasant, S.C. Academic Magnet High School

Ram Raval

William Rixey

Virginia Beach, Va. Princess Anne High School

Morehead City, N.C. West Carteret High School

Jerry Schexnayder

Jared Shely

Myrtle Beach, S.C. Myrtle Beach High School

Lexington, Ky. Henry Clay High School

Bowen Spottswood

Michael Sullivan

Point Clear, Ala. Bayside Academy

Laurel, Md. Reservoir High School

OF THE 2,954 APPLICANTS FOR THE JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP, 177

were selected as finalists on the basis of their potential to contribute to the intellectual and civic life of the Washington and Lee community and to the world at large. Factors weighed included the academic record, writing samples, teacher references, and records of leadership, citizenship and involvement in non-academic activities. The finalists were invited to campus for interviews with faculty, student leaders and administrators; their selection was truly a group effort. Our entire community welcomes them to W&L.

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© michael neugebauer

Sierra Tamm

Amanda Wahlers

Naples, Fla. Palmetto Ridge High School

Phoenix, Ariz.

Cortez High School

JOHNSON LECTURE SERIES EVERY YEAR, THE JOHNSON ENDOWMENT brings to W&L national

Linden Walus

Mary Welch

Glen Allen, Va. John Randolph Tucker High School

Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte Latin School

Jonathan Williams

Chase Wonderlic

Cincinnati, Ohio Elder High School

Libertyville, Ill. Libertyville High School

and international leaders in business, politics, science, art and the humanities to discuss issues of importance. Through the Johnson program, W&L has hosted prize-winning writers, experts on the economy, prominent public servants, successful entrepreneurs, actors and luminaries from other fields, including: 

Jane Goodall (pictured above), United Nations Messenger of Peace and global leader in chimpanzee research and conservation efforts



James Moore, internationally noted expert on Charles Darwin and professor of the history of science at the Open University in England



Alan Guelzo, renowned scholar of Abraham Lincoln and professor of Civil War Era Studies at Gettysburg College

In addition, the Johnson endowment supports several other events and symposia at W&L: 

The international Myths in Science symposium, hosted

by W&L in 2014



A symposium hosted by W&L’s School of Law exploring the Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court



The annual W&L Entrepreneurship Summit



The biennial W&L Science, Society and the Arts research conference

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— johnson opportunity grants—

In 2014, 27 rising juniors and seniors received Johnson Opportunity Grants to support internships and independent research projects across the country and around the world. Their interests ranged as widely as their destinations.

Thomas Bednar ’15 Chapmansboro, Tenn.

Majors: economics, politics Thomas interned at the Bureau of European and Asian Affairs in the Office of Political and Regional Affairs in Washington, D.C. He got firsthand experience with the pressing matters that the United States faces in international affairs, and he learned about the workings of the State Department, where he intends to pursue a career in international affairs as a Foreign Service officer.

Michael Bronstein ’15

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Victoria Andrews ’15

Betsy Cribb ’15

Atlanta, Ga. Majors: art history, biochemistry

Charleston, S. C. Majors: art history, journalism

Victoria accompanied Melissa

Betsy accompanied Melissa Kerin,

Kerin, assistant professor of art

assistant professor of art history

history at W&L, to Tibet as a re-

at W&L, to Tibet as a research

search assistant documenting the

assistant on the materiality of

use of Tibetan Buddhist shrines.

Tibetan Buddhist shrines. Cribb

She documented activities at

collected information about

the shrines through observation,

devotees’ engagement with the

photography and interviews, and

shrines through observations

she observed striking differences

and interviews, analyzed the

between life for people inside and

materials used on the shrines,

ouside the Tibetan Autonomous

and documented activities at the

Region.

shrines.

Canton, Mass.

Major: psychology Michael spent the summer as a research assistant helping to design and implement original research in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. He assisted Dr. Bill Gehring, who is a leader in the field of clinically relevant electrophysiology research and is Michael’s first choice as a graduate school mentor.

Bailey Ewing ’15 Dallas, Texas Major: accounting and business administration Bailey spent the summer in Denmark working for Deloitte’s Denmark Corporate Social Responsibility team. She researched how not-forprofit organizations that receive time and products from corporations can translate those donations into accurate market values on their financial statements. This will enable them to gain larger sums of state support, which is allocated to non-profit organizations that can demonstrate public support.

Christina Cheadle ’16 Escondido, Calif.

Majors: anthropology, art history

Shelby Flores ’15 Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Majors: economics, Spanish Minor: Latin American and Caribbean studies

Christina was selected through a

gram focusing on Japanese-Amer-

competitive process to be a U.S.

ican relations. The conference

delegate to the 66th Japanese-

alternates each year between

American Student Conference.

Japanese and U.S. cities. This

She joined 72 other students—36

year it was held in Des Moines,

Shelby had a 10-week summer

Americans and 36 Japanese—at

Iowa; San Francisco, Calif.; New

internship at the U.S. Embassy in

the month-long, student-led pro-

York, N.Y., and Washington, D.C.

Mexico City, Mexico, through the U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program. Her duties were primarily research-based, including

Caroline Crichlow-Ball ’15

Stephanie Do ’15

Austin, Texas Majors: psychology, sociology

Hanoi, Vietnam Majors: accounting and business administration, East Asian language and literature

Caroline interned with Dr. Philip

reviewing and analyzing the effect of Mexican tourism on the United States, compiling data on E-visas and mapping the interagency coordination procedures in Mexico City to create a summary of best practices.

Pate, a forensic psychologist in Winchester, Va., who evaluates sex

Stephanie interned at one of the

offenders for trial and conducts

world’s largest accounting firms,

capacity interviews of parents whose

in Ho Chi Minh City in southern

children have been removed by so-

Vietnam. In addition to gaining

cial services. As a forensic assistant,

auditing skills, Do and her fellow

she conducted background research,

interns attended a pitch competition

Liam was a visiting student at the

reviewed intake forms, observed

to propose an original business idea

Stroke Prevention Research Unit,

client interviews, administered and

useful to the Vietnamese people in

Nuffield Department of Clinical

scored psychological tests, reviewed

their daily lives. Stephanie and other

Neurosciences at the University of

evaluations, wrote reports and com-

interns also participated in local

Oxford, England. The unit is regarded

municated with attorneys and social

community service projects.

as one of the most productive stroke

Liam Gaziano ’16 Dedham, Mass.

Major: biochemistry

services.

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research groups in the world. Liam worked on a number of research projects, including a large-scale study of the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of Bluetooth home telemetric blood pressure monitoring in stroke victims.

Lindsay George ’16 York, Pa. Majors: English, art history Minor: Latin American and Caribbean studies Lindsay spent the summer in Costa Rica at the Academia de Español in Nicoya, a Spanish-language immersion school. Nicoya is a small village near the Guatemalan border and offers minimal interaction with tourists.

She took intensive language instruction in the mornings and in the afternoons interned at different businesses. She also worked as a teacher’s assistant in a local elementary school.

Ellen Gleason ’15 Santa Barbara, Calif.

Majors: politics, economics

Adele Irwin ’15 Essex Fells, N. J. Major: biology Minor: creative writing Adele joined Lisa Greer, associate pro-

dating. Their aim is to determine why

fessor of geology at W&L, on a trip to

endangered corals are thriving at the

Belize to collect live samples of endan-

research site while they are declining at

gered corals for analysis and carbon

most other reefs in the Caribbean.

Ellen interned in the finance department of the Democratic National Committee. Day-today work included organizing and planning large-scale fundraising events, maintaining

University’s geo-analytical laboratory for

Chinese companies in the United States,

the DNC’s database of donors, and promot-

X-ray fluorescence analysis to provide ac-

foreign currency exchange rates, financial

ing and staffing events. She also attended

curate data to characterize the lavas in the

forecasting and financial modeling.

weekly brown bag events with senior staff

volcanoes.

In addition to taking one-on-one Chinese

members to learn about various positions available in politics.

Phil Kong ’15 Downey, California (and a native of South Korea) Majors: geology, biochemistry

language classes, Kiril stayed with a local

Kiril Krendov ’16 Sofia, Bulgaria Majors in business administration, East Asian languages (Chinese concentration) Kiril interned at Pearl Consulting in Zhuhai, China, through the program InternChina.

family and immersed himself in Chinese culture.

Grace Lee ’15 Boca Raton, Fla. Major: biochemistry Minor: poverty and human capability studies

Phil explored the geochemistry of volcanic

During his three-month stay, he learned

samples from the Cascade Mountain Range

about different aspects of finance. Subject

Grace served as a volunteer in Cameroon in

on the west coast of the United States. He

matter included mergers and acquisitions,

three different medical placements arranged

then sent the samples to Washington State

initial public offerings, share listings of

by the nonprofit organization Love Volun-

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Daphine Mugayo ’15 Kampala, Uganda Majors: biochemistry, economics Minor: poverty and human capability studies Daphine participated in two different internships, both focused on the field of public health. Through W&L’s Washington Term Program, Daphine worked for Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Later she worked in the Baylor College of Medicine’s Summer Medical and Research Training program doing oncology research. Together, the experiences allowed Daphine to explore her own aspirations for

Eric Schwen ’15 Cottage Grove, Minn.

Major: physics Eric attended two international physics conferences. The Condensed Matter Conference in Paris, jointly organized by the French Physical Society and the European Physical Society, covered a wide range of topics in condensed matter physics. The International Conference on Mathematical Modeling in Physical Sciences in Madrid focused on scientific applications of mathematical modeling. Each conference had a wide selection of invited speakers, including some of the most respected researchers in condensed matter and statistical physics.

a career in medicine while learning about public policy in the field of public health.

teers. She gained experience in a variety of hospital activities and accompanied medical personnel into rural communities for outreach programs to educate local people

Austin Pierce ’15 Yorktown, Va. Majors: economics, philosophy, East Asian languages and literature

Brittany Lloyd ’15 Abington, Pa. Majors: English, sociology/anthropology

Circle Pines, Minn.

Majors: English, biology Scott conducted independent primary research of William Wordsworth’s papers held by The Wordsworth Trust in England’s Lake District.

about sanitation, hygiene and nutrition and to provide first aid for small injuries.

Scott Sugden ’15

Austin attended the prestigious summer

The trust is an independent charity that houses

linguistics program at Leiden University, The

Wordsworth’s manuscripts donated to the trust

Netherlands, and studied Old English, the

by his descendants in 1935. They include the

Caucasian language Avar and two Indo-

published and unpublished versions of Word-

Iranian languages—Ossetic and Old Persian.

sworth’s poetry with revisions in his own hand,

He intends to pursue a degree in law and

which allowed Scott to examine revisions that

global affairs.

Wordsworth made to some of his works and to analyze how he revised them.

Brittany did an internship with the Native American Land Conservancy in Southern California, which aims to protect endangered Native American sites. She also participated in original research on different linguistic aspects of local Native American sacred sites and worked with the Learning and Healing Landscapes program to promote understanding about sacred Native American sites.

Alejandro Paniagua ’16 San José, Costa Rica Majors: business administration, environmental studies Through the School for Field Studies, Alejandro lived for a month in the rainforest of northeastern Queensland, Australia, conducting research on a form of biological pest control targeting the cane toad population on sugar cane plantations. He explored whether the amount of rainfall affects the efficacy of using parasitic lungworms as a means of controlling the population of this invasive toad.

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Joy Putney ’16 Fairfax, Va. Majors: physics-engineering, biology Joy conducted research at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute in New Zealand into effective signal processing and modeling of gastrointestinal (GI) electrical activity. Her specific project involved understanding the physiological basis behind the propagation of spike waves—a type of GI activity that occurs in the small intestine.

Anh Ta ’16

Katherine Uhlir ’16

Andrew Watson ’15

Hanoi, Vietnam Majors: accounting, economics

Boulder, Colo.

Major: English

Great Falls, Va. Major: biology Minor: classics

Anh spent two months in Shanghai, China,

Katherine extended her Spring Term course,

as an intern with FTI Consulting, a global

Shakespeare in Performance, serving as re-

Andrew undertook a 500-mile journey on

business consultancy firm, through the

search assistant to Holly Pickett, associate

foot along the traditional pilgrimage route

Shanghai Summer Internship program of

professor of English at W&L. She assisted

Camino de Santiago, which winds through

CIEE, a non-profit organization. Participants

with research into sensual perception of

France and northern Spain. It was first popu-

were required to speak Chinese as much as

idolatry in early modern English drama, fo-

larized by medieval pilgrims traveling to visit

possible.

cusing on archival research and the study of

the tomb of St. James in Santiago. Hiking

relics in the context of early modern drama.

approximately 25 to 30 kilometers a day and staying in pilgrim hostels, Andrew wrote in his journal to document the influence of cultural and historic elements on the identity of the route today.

Tierney Wolgemuth ’16 Lancaster, Pa. Major: biochemistry Minor: Latin American and Caribbean studies Tierney volunteered at a health clinic in Cordoba, Argentina, assisting doctors in giving personal care and vaccines.

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WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY Lexington, Virginia

HISTORY

DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

NEED-BASED AID

The ninth-oldest college in the country, Washington and Lee University recognizes and embodies the direct contributions of two of the most influential figures in American history.

George Washington’s 1796 gift of James River Canal stock ensured the fledgling school’s survival; Robert E. Lee’s presidency, 1865–70, brought innovation and national recognition to the school.

Honor System—Entirely studentrun; based on the fundamental principle that students attending Washington and Lee will not lie, cheat, steal or otherwise violate community trust.

The W&L Promise ensures that any admitted student from a family with income below $75,000 and with assets typical of their income will receive an aid award of at least full tuition, without loans. Admitted students from other income brackets will have their institutionally determined financial need fully met with grants and a work-study job, without loans. Learn more at go.wlu.edu/financialaid.

STUDENTS

Undergraduate—1,855 students from 46 states, representing citizenship in 58 countries (87 percent from outside Virginia).

Ratio of men to women is 50:50.

Ethnic minorities: 12 percent.

The School of Law—422 students.

FACULTY

Of the 190 undergraduate faculty members, 98 percent hold doctorates or terminal degrees.

The student-faculty ratio is 8:1.

The average class size is 15.

Twenty-nine percent of classes have fewer than 10 students, 92 percent have fewer than 25 students, and 97 percent have fewer than 30 students.

Curriculum—W&L is the only leading liberal arts college to have a nationally accredited journalism program or a nationally accredited business school, and it is one of the few offering an engineering program.

Speaking tradition—As a matter of civility and mutual consideration, members of the W&L community say “hello” to one another— whether passing on the historic Colonnade on the way to class or meeting in the dining hall of Elrod Commons.

Academic calendar—12-12-4: two 12-week terms; one four-week Spring Term to allow for focused study, research, travel or internships.

JOHNSON SCHOLARS

The prestigious Johnson Scholarship Program provides awards of at least tuition, room and board for up to 44 students in each class on the basis of academic achievement and leadership potential. More information about the Johnson Scholarship Program and the other components of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity is available at go.wlu.edu/ johnson.

FINANCIAL AID, SCHOLARSHIPS

W&L will spend more than $38 million on aid in 2014-15; 47 percent of first-year students receive grant assistance from W&L.

CONTACT US

Washington and Lee University Office of Admissions Lexington, VA 24450-2116 admissions@wlu.edu www.wlu.edu (540) 458-8710 (540) 458-8062 fax

Follow us on

@wluadmissions

/washingtonandlee 15

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

Office of Admissions

Lexington, Virginia

Lexington, Virginia 24450-2116

admissions@wlu.edu

www.wlu.edu

(540) 458-8710

Washington and Lee University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information in its educational programs and activities, admissions, and with regard to employment. See complete statement at go.wlu.edu/eeo

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