Illinois State University awarded 14 undergraduate students with the Bone Scholarship for the 2018-2019 academic year. The announcement was made by the University’s Honors Program. The recipients of the scholarship will be introduced to university administrators, the selection committee, and current and alumni Bone Scholars during a luncheon on Sunday, September 16.
The Bone Scholarship is the highest university-wide honor awarded to undergraduate students of Illinois State University. This scholarship includes a monetary award from the Bone Scholarship fund and the recipients’ pictures are displayed in the Bone Student Center, with their names permanently engraved on a plaque displayed in the center.
The scholarship is named in honor of the late Robert G. Bone, president of Illinois State University from 1956-1967. Bone Scholars are selected through a rigorous campus-wide competition based on their scholarly achievements and their engagement and leadership in activities in the university community and beyond. Invited finalists submit a comprehensive portfolio including several essays and statements, a project, and five letters of recommendation. The mean grade point average of this year’s Bone Scholars is 3.95 on a 4.0 scale.
This years’ selection committee consisted of Jen Barnes, Christy Borders, Roy Magnuson, Dave Malone, Jomo Sankara, and Michele Shropshire of the Illinois State faculty; current Bone Scholar John Mueting; Foundation Association representative Marc Bulandr; and Alumni Association representative Linda Yap.
The Bone Scholars of 2018-2019 academic year are listed below:
• Rachel Angles, Bloomington, bio-chemistry; zoology
• Basheer Becerra, El Paso, computer science; mathematics
• Hannah Engelking, Chatham, accounting BS/MPA
• Emily Ferguson, Eureka, communication sciences and disorders
• Payton Gehm, Mendota, music education
• Morgan Grunloh, Lexington, chemistry
• Gabriella Harpel, Bloomington, interior design
• Kelsie Klingenberg, Nashville, actuarial science
• Alison Line, Bargersville, Indiana, nursing
• Abigail Mustread, Bloomington, nursing
• Torrey Saxton, Normal, mathematics; physics
• Joseph Syzdek, Palatine, geology
• Noah Tang, Lisle, social sciences education
• Grace Watson, Naperville, special education
