KNOXVILLE — Thirty high school seniors have been named as finalists for the 2010 class of Haslam Scholars at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The finalists will be on campus this weekend for the Haslam Scholars Program Interview Weekend. The 2010-11 class of Haslam Scholars will be announced in May.
Selection criteria include scholastic achievement, leadership potential, maturity and seriousness of purpose, and special talents.
Haslam Scholars will be part of an intimate academic and leadership group mentored by top UT faculty. Haslam Scholars Program benefits include a $1,500 laptop computer and a study-abroad experience valued at $4,000, as well as up to $5,500 to support honors thesis research and travel to present their work. In addition, each Haslam Scholar will receive a scholarship package that totals $15,300.
The UT program was created with $2.5 million from Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Jimmy Haslam is president and CEO of Pilot Travel Centers. Dee Haslam is CEO of RIVR Media and also chairs the UT Development Council. The Haslams chair the Campaign for Tennessee for the Knoxville campus.
Jim and Natalie Haslam contributed an additional $2.5 million to support the program. Jim Haslam is chairman of the board of Pilot Travel Centers LLC and chairman of the board and president of Pilot Corp.
The 30 finalists include a student from Ethiopia who was an exchange student in Chattanooga during his junior year, a Knoxville student who emigrated from China when he was in middle school, and students from Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia.
“What these young people have in common,” Associate Provost and Director of the Chancellor’s Honors and Haslam Scholars Programs Steven Dandaneau said, “is truly extraordinary academic achievement and exciting potential for leadership.”
The finalists’ academic interests include biomedical engineering, alternative energy research, food microbiology, philosophy, cultural anthropology, architecture, English, materials science, nuclear engineering, journalism and electrical engineering.
The finalists are:
- Ben Almassi, Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School, Nashville
- Bryan Bozeman, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge
- Ariel Buehler, Farragut High School, Knoxville
- Desta Bume, Awassa Tabor Senior Secondary & Preparatory School, Ethiopia, and Signal Mount High School, Chattanooga
- Melanie Carroll, Alexandria Senior High School, Alexandria, La.
- Kathleen Connelly, Knoxville Catholic High School, Knoxville
- Sarah Craig, West High School, Knoxville
- Marianela D’Aprile, Westview High School, Martin
- Matt Garbarino, Loveland High School, Loveland, Ohio
- Aubrey Hord, Franklin High School, Franklin
- Xin Huang, Bartlett High School, Bartlett
- Lindsay Lee, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge
- Melissa Lee, Brentwood High School, Brentwood
- Logan Lockner, Daniel Boone High School, Jonesborough
- Nate Massey, Corinth High School, Corinth, Miss.
- Brady Miller, Ooltewah High School, Ooltewah
- Joshua Moon, Westminter Academy, Memphis
- Blake Palles, Wilson High School, Florence, S.C.
- Brianna Rader, Halls High School, Knoxville
- Mark Remec-Pavlin, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge
- Katherine Rush, Gatton Academy of Math and Science, Bowling Green, Ky.
- Veronica Shreve, home school, Knoxville
- Noelle Sibley, Providence Academy, Johnson City
- Ashley Smith, Gulfport High School, Gulfport, Miss.
- Aditya Suresh, Dobyns-Bennett High School, Kingsport
- Katherine Walker, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge
- Elizabeth Williams, Science Hill High School, Johnson City
- James Wood, Fannin County High School, Fannin County, Ga.
- Shakara Wright, Kenwood High School, Clarksville
- Amy Yoder, Knoxville Catholic High School, Knoxville
For more about the Haslam Scholar program and the finalists, see http://honors.utk.edu/.
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C O N T A C T :
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)