First-year student Lorena Roque has been selected to participate in the Kemper Scholars Program, a scholarship-mentorship program sponsored by the James S. Kemper Foundation in Chicago. Students are selected for the program from a group of 16 liberal arts colleges around the country.

Kemper Scholars receive annual scholarships up to $10,000 based on need during their sophomore, junior and senior years of college. Kemper Scholars also receive stipends to cover the cost of an internship with a major nonprofit organization in Chicago during the summer following their sophomore year.

Each year all Kemper Scholars attend a national conference to discuss their summer projects, meet with former Kemper Scholars, and consider topics in administration, leadership and business. They have frequent contact with Kemper Foundation staff members to discuss their academic and professional goals.

Roque is majoring in economics and math and is minoring in French. She would like to pursue a career in economic development. She said she applied for the Kemper Scholars program because she is originally from Chicago and was interested in the network of people the program would introduce her to. She hopes to do her summer internship with an organization such as the Metropolitan Planning Council in Chicago.