The Stamps Leadership Scholarship at Virginia Tech is a unique opportunity for high-achieving students to not only receive significant financial support towards their degree, but also to pursue learning opportunities outside of the traditional classroom setting.

Six students received the Stamps Leadership Scholarship at Virginia Tech this fall. The program was launched last year, and currently supports 10 scholars.

The scholarship provides full tuition, fees, and room and board for up to four or five years depending on the student’s course of study in addition to an enrichment fund to allow the scholars to take part in unique experiential learning opportunities.

The 2015 recipients of the scholarship at Virginia Tech include:

Mulligan is currently in Senegal as part of the U.S. State Department’s Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad Scholar program. She will defer her scholarship until she begins at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2016. The rest of the new scholars arrived at Virginia Tech this fall and are adjusting to life in the Honors Residential College and Hillcrest communities.

Last year was the first year the Stamps Leadership Scholarship was awarded at Virginia Tech. The inaugural class of scholars – computer science and music composition double major Galina Belolipetski of Rockville, Maryland, physics major Moira Miller of Arlington, Virginia, communications and international studies double major Jessica King of Stafford, Virginia, and computational modeling and data analytics major Wolfe Glick of McLean, Virginia – are now entering their second year at Virginia Tech.

The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation and the scholarships have opened up opportunities for the scholars already. “I made a connection within my department to do research over the summer through University Honors and the Stamps Leadership Scholarship,” Miller said. “I was also able to go to the Stamps Convention earlier this year, where I met other Stamps Scholars and learned about their experience with Stamps.”

“I’m planning on attending two conferences over winter break [using my enrichment funds], where I will present research. I’d like to use my funds to do a trip with the Partners in the Parks program,” Miller added.

“The Stamps Leadership Scholarship has instilled in me the desire to give back to my community and to my peers, because I feel as though I must make the most of my time at Virginia Tech,” Belolipetski said. “Thus, I have heavily involved myself in the two departments for my two majors to make sure I leave a footprint at the university long after I am gone. I established MusiComp, an organization dedicated to creating a network for composers within the university and beyond. I plan to use my Stamps funds to travel to Pittsburg for conference called SPLASH—one of the largest conferences for computer science in the nation. I will be presenting a poster on my research at the conference.”

Students with exceptional achievements in academics and leadership who are applying to admission at Virginia Tech for fall 2016 are encouraged to apply for the Stamps Leadership Scholarship.

“The Stamps Leadership Scholarship has provided a great opportunity to recruit top candidates from all disciplines to Virginia Tech. It is a real game changer in the recruiting process,” said Christina McIntyre, interim director of the University Honors program. “The key for applicants is to get their Virginia Tech and University Honors application in early. We need time to review applications carefully. Also we are looking for individuals who take the initiative to specifically apply to University Honors and to the Stamps Scholarship specifically.”

The priority deadline to apply is Dec. 1, 2015. For more information about the Stamps Leadership Scholarship, go to the University Honors Stamps Scholarship website.

Written by Jessica King, a sophomore double majoring in communication and international studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, as well as University Honors student and Stamps Scholarship recipient.

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