MACON – Mercer University welcomed nine incoming freshmen this fall as part of the University’s 13th class of Stamps Scholars.
Mercer’s newest Stamps Scholars include:
- Reagan Cooke, a civil engineering major from Simpsonville, South Carolina
- Arushi Cumer, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Duluth
- Elaine Do, a biology major from El Paso, Texas
- Florence Nduna, a biology major from Embu, Kenya
- Kaylee Nichols, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Rome
- Allison Sidley, a biology major from Evans
- Ria Tamrakar, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Evans
- Shivani Trivedi, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Suwanee
- Isaac Monteiro, a mechanical engineering major from Lawrenceville
Three additional students, rising juniors Wesley Kinney, an engineering major from Peachtree City; Prakriti Sapkota, an engineering major from Bharatpur, Nepal; and Allie Ford, an English and education double major from Hoover, Alabama joined the Stamps Scholars program in the spring, bringing the current number of Scholars at Mercer to 33.
“Stamps Scholars are among the highest-achieving students at Mercer,” said Dr. David A. Davis, director of University Honors. “These students were selected based on the potential to change the world through research, leadership, and service.”
The Stamps Scholars program covers all expenses for four years of undergraduate study and includes an enrichment fund that scholars can use for their academic and professional development. Other benefits include participation in a national day of service, access to a growing network of scholars and alumni, and opportunities to attend biennial conventions, where scholars are able to network with one another and learn from recognized leaders.
“We are grateful to partner with Stamps Scholars to select our most qualified applicants for this prestigious scholarship,” said Dr. Kelly Holloway, assistant vice president for enrollment management. “Stamps Scholars enter the University with exceptional aptitude for research, service, and leadership and graduate with the highest expression of these traits as a Mercerian.”
This year’s incoming class of Scholars was selected from nearly 509,000 applications nationwide. The value of Stamps Scholarships for the new class of Scholars over their time in school is worth approximately $59.3 million over their time in school.
Mercer’s Stamps alumni have gone on to professional programs in fields such as medicine, law and dentistry and Ph.D. programs such as chemistry, neuroscience, pharmacology and hydrology. They are doing important work in the education, engineering, health care and international development sectors, among others.
Stamps Scholars are among the recipients of prestigious awards including Fulbright, Gates Cambridge, Goldwater, Marshall, Rhodes, Schwarzman and Truman scholarships. Stamps alumni work with top companies and organizations such as Google, Goldman Sachs, and NASA and pursue graduate degrees at leading institutions.
About Stamps Scholars
Georgia native Roe Stamps, who was raised in Macon and attended Stratford Academy, and his late wife, Penny, launched the Stamps Scholarship in 2006 at their alma maters, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan, respectively. Though Penny Stamps passed away in December 2018, her legacy continues through the Stamps Scholars community, which has grown into an international network of more than 2,600 Scholars and alumni.
