Ten incoming first-year Vanderbilt University students have been named to the newest class of the Ingram Scholars Program. They were selected from nearly 1,000 students for the signature and highly competitive program.
Members of the Class of 2024 are:
- Max Adams of Barrington, Illinois
- Jose Leonardo Brenes of San Jose, Costa Rica
- Soenika Gorrepati of Charlotte, North Carolina
- Nicole Hankovszky of Greenwood Village, Colorado
- William Hemond of Acton, Massachusetts
- Lillian Hubbard of Nashville, Tennessee
- Gabriela Jones of Suwanee, Georgia
- Charlotte Meyers of Scarsdale, New York
- Anoushka Puri of Bangalore, India
- Julia Tilton of Milford, New Hampshire
“Ingram Scholars boldly address critical issues in society, both in the United States and abroad,” said Brian L. Heuser, faculty director of the Ingram Scholars Program and associate professor of the practice of international education policy. “To be sure, there is no more important time for the Ingram Scholars community to be fully engaged in critical discourses around problems that include the COVID pandemic and racial injustice and inequality—actively seeking solutions, and supporting one another and the larger Vanderbilt community. Our work on behalf of our service partners has never been more urgently needed.”
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 and giving. From that first class of four undergraduates and two incoming first-year students, the program has grown to almost 300 current students and alumni who have been awarded the Ingram Scholarship since 1994.
Ingram Scholars engage in 20 hours of civic and community service each month and also design and implement projects that address significant societal challenges. The program encourages the scholars to create service projects that become self-sustaining. Ingram Scholars are awarded a full tuition scholarship for four years plus a stipend for a summer project.
In light of the coronavirus outbreak and the university’s response to protect the health and safety of the community, this year’s summer service projects have been retooled to provide fully virtual and research support to the program’s partner organizations.
For more information, visit the Ingram Scholars Program website.