Two Knox Students Chosen as 2013 Kemper Scholars

Knox College first-year students Alec Freytag and Lindsey Morgan recently were selected for the Kemper Scholars Program, which provides scholarships and practical experience while preparing students for leadership and service, especially in administration and business.

Being a Kemper Scholar means that Freytag and Morgan will receive scholarships of up to $10,000 for each of the next three years and will attend the Kemper Scholars Conference for three years, starting in summer 2013. Each of them will complete two summer internships, one with a non-profit organization and the other with a for-profit business.

The program, which also offers opportunities for career exploration, is run by The James S. Kemper Foundation. According to its website, the foundation believes that "undergraduate study of the liberal arts offers the best preparation for life and career."

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Freytag  is considering a double-major in psychology and history. He said he also has strong interests in business and entrepreneurship.

"Kemper seemed like the program for me because not only do I get two full-summer internships -- one in Chicago and one wherever I want -- but it also allows me to be in a leadership position (and interact) with people who have similar interests," he said.

A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Morgan  first learned about the Kemper program through Knox sophomore Molly Loudon, who was chosen in 2012 as a Kemper Scholar. Loudon also comes from Lincoln, Nebraska.

"I have a lot of drive and a lot of interests, but I don't really know which direction I want to go," said Morgan, whose academic interests include education, psychology, French, and social service. "I feel like this program will give me opportunities that I need to make a well-informed decision of what I want to do and (help) build me into the best person I can be before I leave this campus."

Freytag and Morgan said that Knox's liberal arts education was a major factor in their decision-making process about where to attend college. "I felt that the liberal arts education made for well-rounded individuals," Morgan said.

Freytag said that for him, another factor was the College's small size. "Knox felt very warm and accepting," he said. "I can walk in the lunchroom and sit down at any table I want, and if I don't know the person, I can become friends with them by the end of lunch."

Knox College has a strong relationship with the Kemper Scholars program. Seven Knox students have been chosen for the program during the past four years. In addition to Freytag, Morgan, and Loudon, the other current Kemper Scholars at Knox are Anna Novikova, Hannah Basil, Alyssa Gill, and Max Potthoff.

Novikova and Basil, both seniors who will graduate in June, already have accepted full-time jobs.

Loudon, Gill, and Potthoff will complete summer internships through Kemper. For example, Potthoff, a 2011 Kemper Scholar, will work in Shanghai, China, with a multinational environmental consulting firm. Loudon will work at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The advisor to the Kemper Scholars Program at Knox is Professor of Business and Management and Executive-in-Residence John Spittell.