The 2015-16 Herman B Wells Scholars include 17 entering freshmen and one current IU student.
These scholars were selected for having demonstrated exceptional qualities of character, leadership and distinction both inside and outside the classroom, according to an IU press release.
The latest addition of the 18 Herman B Wells Scholars will join more than 540 students before them as fellow Herman B Wells Scholars.
The first class of Herman B Wells Scholars was enrolled in 1990, following Wells’ 90th birthday, according to the release.
In order to apply, interested students needed to write an essay, provide a teacher recommendation and be nominated by their high school.
Out-of-state students had to self-nominate themselves through the IU Office of Admission for the scholarship., according to the release.
This year’s class of Herman B Wells Scholars includes several students who are the first from their high schools to receive this prestigious award, according to the release.
Though more than 600 students applied for the prestigious scholarship, only 55 of those applicants were selected for an intense interview process on the IU-Bloomington campus during the summer, according to the release.
The interview process was a two-day affair, during which the candidates stayed in Biddle Hotel and were “pretty much interviewed the whole time,” 2015-16 Herman B Wells Scholar Jonah Andretta said.
It took one week after the interview weekend for candidates to hear back from Christoph Irmscher, the provost professor of English and the George F. Getz Jr. Professor in the Wells Scholars Program.
Irmscher called all 55 candidates on the same day and informed them of the decision.
“I was literally shocked,” 2015-16 Herman B Wells Scholar Kate Adams said. “Interview weekend was so nerve–racking because everyone there had the test scores, everyone there had the GPA, everyone there had the resume to impress this program ... it was intense.”
The nerves and stress proved worthwhile, however, because incoming freshman Herman B Wells Scholars receive full tuition and course-related fees, according to the release.
The students also receive a living stipend, for four years of undergraduate study on the IU-Bloomington campus.
Scholars may choose to spend up to one of those years studying abroad, according to the release.
“You already know that these guys are highly accomplished,” Irmscher said. “One thing that perhaps stands out about them is the diversity of backgrounds — from African-American and Latino to British, Turkish-American and so forth.”
While the Herman B Wells Scholars may represent diverse backgrounds, they said they also believe they are diverse in their multiple areas of studies.
The Herman B Wells Scholars explained in a group interview that they make up an array of versatility, with future lawyers, future doctors and even dance majors all participating and engaging in intelligent conversation.
“We come from obviously different families and different areas of the country,” Andretta said. “Of the seventeen of us, three of us are music (majors), but those three music (majors) are education, performance and composition, and all three of us are doing something with math. It makes us all much more well-rounded because we have a higher exposure to different ideas.”
The Herman B Wells Scholars meet for a seminar every Tuesday and Thursday in the Harlos House, where they will discuss the environment throughout the fall and utopian societies during the spring.
The Herman B Wells program also offers support for a summer research or service project, creative activity or internship and a wide range of extracurricular events and activities, according to the release.
The selected students added that they are excited to get to know each other throughout their four years and become true Herman B Wells Scholars together.
“While it’s definitely an honor to be part of such an intelligent group and a well-rounded group, it’s also a huge honor, at least for me and I’m assuming everyone else, to carry Herman B Wells’ name,” 2015-16 Wells Scholar Reyan Coskun said.
“We have so many experiences where we come to this house and we learn from people who knew him,” Coskun added. “We learn about his legacy and what he did for this campus. It’s truly amazing. They are literally handing us a role model that we can have throughout our college experience and strive to become.”
