Hannah Stewart ’17 was awarded a $5,000 fellowship from the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, which she’ll use to begin her legal education.
The native of De Pere, Wisconsin, is headed to the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison. She graduated from Elmhurst in May with degrees in political science and communications studies, and received an additional $1,500 scholarship from the Elmhurst College chapter of Phi Kappa Phi.
Stewart said she developed the law bug when a district attorney from Green Bay, Wisconsin conducted a mock trial at her middle school. During high school she spent a three-week summer program at Northwestern University, shadowing attorneys and attending federal court cases. At Elmhurst, she was a member of the Mock Trial Team and won a perfect score as a witness at one tournament. “You have to make sure to say the right things to your attorney,” she said. “If you say something wrong, the opposing side will object and the testimony will be taken out of the record.”
She plans to pursue a career in government or family law, “where you can be a force for good and change people’s lives.”
The top seven percent of students at Elmhurst College are invited to join the honor society, according to Jennifer Paliatka, president of the Elmhurst College Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and assistant librarian at the A.C. Buehler Library.
Phi Kappa Phi awards 51 fellowships of $5,000 each and six of $15,000 each to members entering their first year of graduate or professional study. Each active Phi Kappa Phi chapter selects one candidate from among its local applicants to compete for the society-wide awards.
Selection is based on evidence of the graduate’s potential, undergraduate academic achievement, service and leadership experience, letters of recommendation, personal statement of educational perspective and career goals, and acceptance in an approved graduate or professional program.
Additionally, two graduates received $1,000 scholarships from the local chapter. Rabia Hameed was accepted into the master’s degree Sustainability and Resource Management program at Technical University of Munich in Munich, Germany. Jacqueline Ryer was accepted to the Elmhurst College master’s degree program in communication sciences and disorders.