Six Tufts juniors and seniors were notified of their status as finalists for the annual Wendell Phillips Memorial Scholarship yesterday.
The finalists are seniors Chike Aguh, Zachariah Baker, Eitan Hersh, Matthew Pohl and Zeleka Yeraswork and junior Annette Kramer. The winner is given the opportunity to speak at the Baccalaureate Commencement Ceremony in May.
Established in 1896 by the Wendell Phillips Memorial Foundation, the award is given annually at Tufts by Director of Student Activities Jodie Neally to a junior or senior who has shown a high public awareness and great promise as a public speaker.
"I knew [being selected as a finalist] included me among some influential and dedicated people from across campus," finalist Pohl said. "It was a very humbling experience."
To become eligible for the award, students must receive a nomination by a member of the Tufts community who has witnessed the beneficial work the student has done.
"I spoke on National Coming Out Day, and [the LGBT Center Director] Dona Yarbrough told me she was going to nominate me," said Pohl, a political science major and vocal supporter of the LGBT issues on campus.
Some of the finalists, however, like finalist Aguh, were never told who nominated them. "You can be nominated by anybody - a faculty member, a friend or even yourself. I don't know who nominated me," he said.
Members of the Committee on Student Life (CSL), who review the submitted applications, pay close attention to the student's speaking abilities as well as his or her public service credentials. Applicants must deliver a four-minute speech submitted on audio tape, as well as a short essay on an inspirational leader.
"The application process began back in November and was very rigorous. All of the finalists are very qualified and we all want to be the only undergraduate to speak at commencement," Aguh said.
To determine the final scholarship recipient, each finalist must present a three to five minute response to a question formulated by the CSL, which asks students to describe how they "speak their mind on a divisive issue" in keeping with the activist tradition of Wendell Phillips.
Wendell Phillips was an abolitionist in the United States in the 1830s. Phillips left his job as a lawyer in order to join the movement and became a leader of the radical abolitionists. He gained nationwide acclaim among abolitionists for his writings in William Lloyd Garrison's famous newspaper The Liberator.
"Considering how Phillips was such a famous and influential activist, I was ecstatic to find out I was a finalist for his award. His namesake and legacy mean a great deal to me," Pohl said.
The final speeches will be presented on March 7, and are open for viewing to the Tufts community.
