Thirteen incoming first-year students have been chosen as the newest members of the Ingram Scholarship program. The 13 are among 1,050 high school seniors who applied for the prestigious program.
Members of the new class are:
- Matthew Avalon of Longview, Washington;
- Wynn Burrus of Raleigh, North Carolina;
- Adriana Calderon of Santa Ana, Costa Rica;
- Leah Field of Demarest, New Jersey;
- Beza Gebremariam of Aurora, Colorado;
- Mary Hanna of Nashville, Tennessee;
- Sean Howard of Richardson, Texas;
- Charles Kotrba of Chicago, Illinois;
- Amy Ma of Sugar Land, Texas;
- Francisco Mackin-Plankey of College Station, Texas;
- Catharine O’Reilly of New Orleans, Louisiana;
- Aidan Pace of Fayetteville, Tennessee; and
- Jonathan Trapani of Deerfield, Illinois.
They will join the 259 Vanderbilt students and alumni who have been awarded the Ingram Scholarship since 1994. From that first class of four undergraduates and two incoming freshmen, the program has grown to include approximately 50 Ingram Scholars attending the university at the same time.
The program was conceived in 1993 by E. Bronson Ingram, president of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust from 1991 until his death in 1995, as a way to encourage students to combine a professional career with a commitment to community service.
Ingram Scholars engage in 20 hours of community service each month and also design and implement projects that address significant community needs. The program encourages Ingram Scholars to create projects that become self-sustaining.
Ingram Scholars receive a minimum of full-tuition and a stipend for a summer project. In cases of demonstrated need, additional financial aid may be provided.