University of Richmond Junior Jackie Knupp Named 2005 Truman Scholar
March 30, 2005
Jackie Knupp, a University of Richmond junior from Raleigh, N.C., has been named a 2005 Truman Scholar, one of an elite group of 75 college juniors committed to making a difference through public service.
The Washington, D.C.-based Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation makes the annual awards as a living memorial to the 33rd president, as authorized by Congress. Each scholarship provides $30,000 for graduate study—in addition to priority admission and financial aid at some premier graduate schools, leadership training, career counseling and special federal government internships.
A double major in biology and leadership studies, Knupp and other Truman scholars must demonstrate outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.
“Jackie combines liberal arts courses with research, exemplifying in a powerful way what we aim for throughout our undergraduate program,” said Richmond’s president, William E. Cooper. “She has learned how to study, serve and lead. Her Truman scholarship recognizes the quality of a Richmond education."
“She is the perfect blend of a scientist and an artist,” said Richmond political science professor Daniel J. Palazzolo in his nomination of Knupp. Palazzolo called her a moral leader who “attempts to inspire followers, by words or deeds, to pursue a higher purpose than their immediate self-interest.”
Knupp hopes to attend medical school, focus on health care for children of uninsured families and eventually become an administrative leader in the health field.
“The children of today are the future leaders of tomorrow, and they must be given the opportunity to contribute to society as healthy individuals,” she told the Truman Foundation in her application. Knupp’s community activities include serving as a Child Life volunteer at VCU Medical Center, where she leads artistic, academic and play activities for chronically and terminally ill children.
Knupp is completing an honors thesis in brain tumor biology under the guidance of Richmond biology professor Valerie Kish and has worked two summers in a breast cancer yeast genetics lab at Duke University in Durham, N.C. She is a National Merit Scholar, American Dance Festival Young Artists Scholar, NCR Scholarship recipient and member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Golden Key International and Tri-Beta National Biology honor societies.
Knupp is Richmond's seventh Truman Scholar. Previous winners include: Margaret E.W. Sager (1980, New York); Michael P. Ring Jr. (1986, New Jersey); Alice E. Colvin (1987, Georgia); Matthew R. Burns (1989, Puerto Rico); Sonia Jo McCutchan Quinonzez (1989, North Carolina); and Andrew O. Rich (1991, Delaware). Knupp is the daughter of Tom and Marilyn Knupp of Raleigh, where she graduated from William G. Enloe High School.
For additional information about the Truman scholarships, see http://www.truman.gov/news/news.htm.