student news

Fulbright Scholarship

Elizabeth Hall, a senior Spanish and education major at William Jewell College, has been named a 2007 Fulbright Scholar. Hall plans to spend eight months teaching and studying in Uruguay funded by the Fulbright’s English Teaching Assistantship award. She will be assisting with English classes in a public school as well as working with Uruguayan teachers who are studying to become English teachers. Additionally, she will do volunteer work at Defensa de Los Ninos International, a children’s rights organization in Montevideo.

“It is overwhelming, exciting and such an honor to be named a Fulbright Scholar,” Hall said. “The opportunity to live, study and teach abroad has been a dream of mine since I finished my study-abroad year in Salamanca, Spain. What a privilege it will be to represent my country and my college in Uruguay.”

The Fulbright Scholarship program is sponsored by the  U.S. Department of State and is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
The Fulbright program was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to “enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.”

Point Foundation Scholarship

Andrew Kirk, a sophomore English and psychology major at William Jewell College, has been selected to receive a Point Foundation Scholarship. Kirk is a resident of Scott City, Kan.

“The Point Foundation provides financial support, mentoring and hope to meritorious students who are marginalized due to sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity,” according to the Foundation’s web site. “The Foundation attempts to identify students who are physically, intellectually and morally capable of leadership to play an influential part in the betterment of society.

“The Point Foundation also attempts to identify students who have exceptional financial needs that would require personal assistance for personal success. The Foundation believes that these individuals would benefit from a support system that facilitates their preparation for the future to help ensure a lifetime of effectual leadership and exceptional productivity. By identifying and supporting these scholars, the Point Foundation hopes to provide a greater level of acceptance, respect and tolerance within future generations for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity.”

At William Jewell, Kirk has been involved in a number of campus organizations, including theater productions, serving as entertainment editor and humor columnist for The Hilltop Monitor student newspaper and serving as a Pryor Leadership Fellow.

“Andy has made a remarkable, positive impact on our campus,” said Dr. Lois Anne Harris, director of the prestigious honors program at William Jewell. “He realized from the beginning that if this environment is to be more accepting of our LBGT students, then he had to help shatter the myths regarding homosexuality that people can hold. He is appreciated and accepted as he speaks out and invites others into conversations regarding their issues, fears and myths. Thanks to Andy and his consistent, positive work, our community is more welcoming. Others are beginning to open their heads and hearts to the positive role Andy plays on our campus.”
 
Additional information on The Point Foundation can be found at the Foundation’s web site at
http://www.thepointfoundation.com

Faculty Award

Emily Wales, a senior communication, political science and Spanish major, has been named the Faculty Award winner at William Jewell. Jewell’s Faculty Award is the most significant distinction offered a graduating senior. It is presented to a student who has spent his/her entire undergraduate career at William Jewell; who has a grade point average of 3.75 or higher; and who has exhibited the highest ideals of a liberal arts education. Faculty award finalists for 2007 were Joel Bryce, Amanda Flanigan, Elizabeth Hall, Jenilee Morrison and Erin Thess.

Carnegie Mellon
Christopher Carr, a junior international relations, history and political science major at William Jewell College, is one of 30 students accepted to attend the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn., this summer. Carr is a resident of Belton, Mo.

The Public Policy and International Affairs program helps young adults achieve an advanced degree and ultimately become involved in public service careers. PPIA’s outreach program focuses on students who are underrepresented in leadership positions in government, nonprofits, international organizations and other institutional settings. This focus stems from a core belief that citizens are best served by public managers, policy makers and community leaders who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

PPIA is a fellowship program that provides student training and financial support for graduate school and facilitates ongoing professional development. A consortium of the top public and international affairs graduate programs in the nation, the program seeks to educate and inspire young people from all backgrounds about public service.

PPIA Junior Summer Institute participants receive full tuition to attend the summer program, plus a minimum $1,000 stipend. Participants can also qualify for significant financial awards to attend graduate school at consortium schools.

At William Jewell, Carr serves as president of the UNITY student organization, which facilitates communication among diverse groups within the campus community. He is also a member of the Diversity Committee, Student Senate and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

Humanitarian Service
William Jewell College has announced the recipients of the John and Mary Pritchard Humanitarian Service Award recipients for 2007. This year’s award winners are Julie Bramon of Columbia, Mo., and Lauren Hale of Tulsa, Okla.

Bramon is a junior art major at William Jewell. She plans to work for six weeks this summer with the Peace Rehabilitation Center (PRC) in Kathmandu, Nepal. PRC is Nepal’s first official AIDS hospice and a leading anti-trafficking organization. While at PRC, Bramon will conduct art therapy sessions for the women at the rehabilitation home and will use her experience as a nurse’s aid in the AIDS hospice. She will also serve as an English teacher, helping the women and girls develop writing and speaking skills.

Hale is a first-year student at William Jewell pursuing a major in International Relations with a double minor in Spanish and Non-Profit Leadership. She plans to live in Antigua, Guatemala, for two months this summer working with Escuela Integrada de Los Ninos Trabajodores, teaching English to children in grades one through four. Hale will also teach art classes to fourth-grade children. Escuela Integrada provides education to children who cannot afford to attend school. The school also provides children with daily nutrition, free medical attention, medicine and counseling.

The Pritchard Humanitarian Service Award is provided by and named for the founders and nurturers of Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City, a provider of affordable housing for low-income families. For more than two decades, the Pritchards sought strong and effective ways to interact with people in need. The award goes annually to William Jewell students who commit to engaging with people in need, developing relationships with people different from themselves in all fundamental aspects while learning about their own unique gifts and calling. 

Woman’s Committee Scholarships

(from left) Lucy Akins, Woman’s Committee president Linda Greason, Krista Bartelsmeyer and Debra Bowman

The Woman’s Committee of William Jewell College awarded scholarships to three William Jewell College students at its spring meeting. 

This year’s recipients are Lucy Akins, a sophomore nursing major, Krista Bartelsmeyer, a junior majoring in political science and communication, and Debra Bowman, a junior majoring in psychology and recreation & sport. The women were introduced at the organization’s spring meeting held in the President’s Home.

For the last 39 years the organization has awarded more than 100 scholarships to deserving women students enrolled at the college. The Woman’s Committee, a group of William Jewell College alumnae and friends, supports the college through various projects to enhance the campus and provides annual scholarships for women. For membership information, please contact Judy Rychlewski at 816-781-7700, ext. 5236.

Cherry Blossom Queen

Congresswoman Madeline Bordallo of Guam is pictured at left with Cherry Blossom Queen Jennifer Elkins (center) and Minister Akitaka Saiki, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., at right.

Jennifer Elkins, a junior business administration major at William Jewell College, was recently selected as the 2007 U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen at the annual National Conference of State Societies Cherry Blossom Ball in Washington, D.C. Jennifer is the daughter of Larry and Becky Elkins of Independence, Mo. Jennifer is active with the career mentoring organization on the Jewell campus, and served an academic internship in the offices of Missouri Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond in Washington, D.C. This is the first time that a queen has been chosen from Missouri since the princess program started in 1948.

Jennifer has been invited to visit Japan in May by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association. She will travel to various events there with her counterpart, Michiru Hirabayshi, the Japan Cherry Blossom Queen.

American Chemical Society

Eleven students recently attended the 233rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago. Jewell faculty members serving as advisors for the above students are Lori Wetmore and Scott Falke. Students making poster presentations were:

• Allyson Fry, “Synthesis and surface-plasmon resonance spectroscopy of silver nanoparticles prepared by gas-phase condensation.”

• Matthew Kastner, “Effect of C-terminal tail truncation in GroEL on protein folding.”
• Katherine Perko, “Investigation of the cholesterol content distribution within phospholipid bilayer vesicles using fluorescent analysis.”
• Christopher Pennell, “Investigation of the effect of cholesterol content on phospholipid bilayer vesicle disruption by common amphipathic solvents.”
• Ashley Popejoy, “Investigation of abnormal cell cycle progression and cyclin expression in U138MG glioma cells.”
• Leah Wahl, “Investigation of hydroxyethyl acetate and hydroxyethyl methacrylate effects on membrane permeability in L929 mouse fibroblast cells.”

Biology Honors

Chase Engel has received a research grant from the American Society of Microbiology. Engel is a sophomore biology major at William Jewell College.“The grant will give me the opportunity to spend 10 weeks conducting research at William Jewell and in collaboration with a lab at Kansas University Medical Center,” Engel said. “I will be studying the effects that the chaporinin protein GroEl has on the folding of a subset of proteins in E. coli.” Engel, a sophomore biology major, also took second place in the undergraduate division platform presentation at the Missouri Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (MO-ASM) meeting at the University of Missouri- Columbia. William Jewell was the only liberal arts college represented in a field of five state universities.

Hilltop Monitor Recognized
Members of the Hilltop Monitor staff, the student newspaper at William Jewell College, were recognized recently with awards of merit from the Missouri College Media Association. William Jewell students recognized for their editorial, design and photographic contributions to the Hilltop Monitor during the 2006-07 academic year were Nathan Weinert, Emily Wales, Danielle Mills, Andy Kirk, Julia Nurse and Kyle Rivas.

Religion Paper Presented
Sarah Smith, senior Oxbridge History of Ideas and religion major, delivered a paper recently to the regional Theta Alpha Kappa Student honorary in religion. The meeting was held in St. Louis, Mo. The title of Sarah’s paper was “The Unavoidable Tragedy of Sola Scriptura.”  Sarah’s paper was a revision of her research completed under a summer Oxbridge research grant. Her paper tied for the “best paper” award.

Department of Nursing
Nursing Student Presentations:
Ngo, K., Magill, U., Seaver, B., Kramer, B., Brettman, J., Vu, J., Steenstry, J., Lam., T. (2007).  Do nursing students bring more than caring? A study of the incidence and types of micro-organisms that live on student nurses’ hands, equipment, and personal accessories. Duke Colloquium, April, 2007.

Ngo, K., Magill, U., Seaver, B., Kramer, B., Brettman, J., Vu, J., Steenstry, J., Lam., T. (2007).  Do nursing students bring more than caring? A study of the incidence and types of micro-organisms that live on student nurses’ hands, equipment, and personal accessories. Sigma Theta Tau International Research Night, William Jewell College, March 2007.

Carpenter, C., Kugler, R., Loya, A. Hypericum and nurses: A comprehensive review of the efficacy of St. John’s Wort in the treatment of depression.  William Jewell College Duke Colloquium, April, 2007.

Fortune, M., Jeselnik, K., Johnson, S., Zhao, J., Wiley, L., Smith, A., Houghton, E., Hamilton, R., Cates, J. (2007). Implications for best practice: a comparison of forearm and upper arm blood pressure readings in healthy adults.  William Jewell College Duke Colloquium, April, 2007.

Arije, B., Barber-Groves, R. (2007). A study of common health needs in a rural adult Nigerian population.  Accepted for Scholarship Day at Rockhurst University/Research School of Nursing, Kansas City, Mo., April, 2007.

American Humanics

A generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will fund stipends for students in the NextGen Leaders Program in William Jewell’s nationally recognized American Humanics chapter. The NextGen program provides a significant $4,500 stipend to students completing a 300-hour internship in the nonprofit sector for American Humanics certification between spring 2007 and spring 2012. Student applications for this prestigious award were reviewed by a panel of national nonprofit leaders.
Jewell students selected for the NextGen Leaders Program were April Balsley, Anthony Bowen, Anne Brown-Pollard, Heather Gargus, Allison Kirby, Hannah Lewis and Hannah Smith. American Humanics is a national alliance of colleges, universities, and nonprofits whose mission is to educate, prepare, and certify professionals to strengthen and lead nonprofit organizations.