University announces Beinecke scholarship nominee

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has nominated a junior for the Beinecke Scholarship Program. Each year the Beinecke Scholarship offers 20 scholarships to undergraduates who intend to pursue a research-focused master’s or doctoral program in the arts, humanities or social sciences. Selected students receive $30,000 to be used for graduate study and $4,000 in their senior year. Award recipients will be announced in April.

KU’s nominee is Cherin Russell, from Lawrence. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Coleman and a graduate of Lawrence High School. Russell is a McNair Scholar majoring in English and plans to earn a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and become a grant writer at a consultancy or environmental nonprofit. She recently joined the volunteer team at the Ballard Center to assist with grant writing and environmental concerns. Russell also serves as a mentor within KU’s Academic Retention & Engagement Center and a tutor for the Academic Learning Center. Russell was awarded second place for the Helen Rhoda Hoopes Award for best English undergraduate essay written by a woman and earned the Certificate of Excellence in French Studies three semesters in a row, the TRIO 1st Year Achievement Award and the Paul B. Lawson Memorial Scholarship given to outstanding juniors. She has been a volunteer and advocate in the Lawrence community for more than 10 years and currently serves as an advocate at KU for nontraditional students and students with invisible disabilities.

Only 135 colleges and universities around the country are invited to nominate one student for the scholarship each year. KU is the only participating institution in Kansas. At KU, the nomination process is coordinated by the Office of Fellowships.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program was established in 1971 by the board of directors of the Sperry and Hutchinson Company to honor Edwin, Frederick, and Walter Beinecke. The board created an endowment to provide substantial scholarships for the graduate education of young people of exceptional promise. Candidates should be U.S. citizens and college juniors who demonstrate superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during their undergraduate career.