Notre Dame is proud to announce the enrollment of 11 undergraduate Stamps Scholars in the Class of 2020. This cohort of Stamps Scholars marks an expansion of the partnership between Notre Dame and the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, which began in 2013, with the admission of five Scholars each year since. The prestigious scholarship awards have now doubled to allow twice as many students per year to benefit from this generous support.
"Notre Dame is thrilled to affirm and expand our partnership with the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. With our incoming group of 11, we will be home to a total of 27 Stamps Scholars next fall. We are incredibly enthusiastic about this development,” said Mark Seamon, director of merit scholar programs at Notre Dame.
The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, established in 1986 by Penny and Roe Stamps, sponsors multi-year merit scholarships at 41 institutions across the United States with the goal of helping exceptional students become meaningful leaders throughout society. Stamps Scholars are among the recipients of other prestigious awards, including Rhodes, Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, and National Science Foundation scholarships.
The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation and partner schools share the costs of the awards, which at Notre Dame cover Scholars’ tuition and fees, as well as an enrichment fund for expenses related to experiences like conferences and travel.
By more than doubling its sponsorship of Notre Dame students, the Stamps Foundation is providing a greater number of undergraduates with the opportunity to study at Notre Dame. “We’re very proud to partner with Notre Dame to provide Stamps Scholarships to exceptional students. Beginning this year, we're delighted to increase our support of the University by expanding our annual cohort size. This is an exciting time for Stamps Scholars at Notre Dame,” said Annie Stamps, Vice President of the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation.
The scholarships attract high-achieving students who perform at the top of their classes academically and bring with them extensive leadership and service experience. This year’s cohort includes Mary Katherine (Katie) Hieatt from Cordova, Tenn. “Notre Dame and the Stamps family made the right choice an easy one for me to make; they made it possible for me to follow my heart without hesitation. I am only just beginning to learn about the incredible network of Stamps Scholars, and I have yet to set foot on campus as a student at Notre Dame—but my life is already changed. Simply knowing that Notre Dame and the Stamps family saw so much potential in me has turned my world upside down. I feel like anything is possible for me.”
Stamps Scholars find a natural home at Notre Dame, where they are provided the resources to pursue undergraduate research and learn to become agents for change. James (Jake) Drysdale of Saint Albans, Mo., plans to study sustainable energy nanotechnologies at Notre Dame. "As a Class of 2020 Stamps Scholar, I am eager to join Notre Dame's fight to provide sustainable energy solutions,” said Drysdale. “Through the extraordinary generosity of the Stamps Foundation and world-leading research being done at Notre Dame, I will have the opportunity to study and help innovate sustainable energy nanotechnologies in the classroom, in the laboratory, and, I hope, on the campus itself.”
The Class of 2020 Notre Dame Stamps Scholars:
Trevor Canty - Billings, MT
James (Jake) Drysdale - Saint Albans, MO
Christopher (Chris) Foley - Glencoe, MO
Mary Katherine (Katie) Hieatt - Cordova, TN
David Korzeniowski - Sudbury, MA
Yanting (Raven) Luo - Shanghai, China
Love Osunnuga - Granger, IN
Rasika Sant - Saint Louis, MO
Grace Schippers - Olathe, KS
Brendan Woods - Rockaway Park, NY
Christina Zoldak - Peabody, MA