11 Kelley Scholarship winners named for 2005-06 school year

Each year between nine and 12 incoming freshmen intending to major in business earn one of the University's most prestigious honors -- the title of Kelley Scholar. \nThe Kelley School of Business has selected 11 scholarship winners for the 2005-06 school year. For each Scholar, the Kelley School of Business will pay for full tuition, fees and a living stipend for four years.\nThis year's scholarship winners are Matthew Anderson, Matthew Baldwin, Katherine Beck, Brian Beesley, William Bennett, Ann Burch, Brent Danner, Sarah Foster, Christopher James, Brooke Kerendian and Michael Skaggs.\n"(The faculty committee is) looking for strong students who are well-rounded, show exceptional leadership experience and who can strongly articulate their interest in studying business," Katie Paulin, associate director of undergraduate programs at the Kelley School of Business. "These 11 candidates did all of those things. They are all not only strong students academically, but they have varied interests and backgrounds and strong leadership experience."\nAlthough the scholarship winners had to compete with more than 200 other applicants during an intensive application process filled with personal statements, recommendations and intensive interviews, the reward is worth it.\n"I am fully aware of the fact that, through this scholarship, I'm really getting a jump start on my career and the rest of my life," Skaggs said. "I'm being given an education at one of the best business schools in the country -- a gift not to be (taken lightly)."\nIn addition to receiving a free education and a stipend for living expenses and funding for overseas study, Kelley Scholars are automatically part of the business honors program and get a faculty mentor for their entire college careers. They also have opportunities to interact with each other and meet "distinguished visitors" who come to the University, Paulin said. \n"There's a lot of extracurricular programming involved," Paulin said. "At the beginning of freshman year, the (new Kelley Scholars) attend a retreat at Bradford Woods. They have bonding time and the other Kelley Scholars are invited to come too."\nSophomore Vanessa Khuong, a current Kelley Scholar, has appreciated the new friendships that the Kelley Scholar program has provided her.\n"What I value most from the Kelley Scholar program is the constant support," she said. "There is a great group of professors, advisors and administrators that are extremely willing to help and support us in any way. (The scholars) became a tight-knit group last year both academically as well as outside of the classroom … It was great to have those familiar faces to go to."\nKhuong got to meet some of the Kelley Scholar candidates when they visited IU for a weekend in February and is looking forward to welcoming them to the group.\n"They all seem very bright and enthusiastic," she said. "They all have a really wide range of personalities, accomplishments and abilities."\nSkaggs is also excited about being around the other Kelley Scholars and taking advantage of the opportunities that his peers will provide for him.\n"I think I'll get the chance to really discuss and analyze the thinking of others -- get new ideas or twists on things I think, and really see what direction the other scholars want to take with their careers," he said. "I have met several of the other Scholars and they are all wonderful and incredibly intelligent people. I know there's an enormous diversity of ideas and opinions in this group, and I think that's definitely a good thing"