Class of 2009 Announced

May 17, 2005 | The Jefferson Scholars Foundation is pleased to announce the Jefferson Scholars Class of 2009. The group of 35, which includes students from eighteen different states and two foreign countries, will enter the University of Virginia in August.

The merit-based scholarship program, which celebrates its 25 th anniversary in 2005, provides stipends to cover the complete cost of attending the University, including tuition, room and board, books and other University-related expenses.

The sole criteria for selection are demonstrated excellence and exceptional potential in the areas of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. The 35 Jefferson Scholarship winners were named after a rigorous national selection process that began with over 800 nominated candidates. The list was pared to 96 finalists who participated in the Jefferson Scholars Foundation's national competition in March, from which the 35 recipients emerged.

The average combined SAT score for the incoming class of Jefferson Scholars is 1523. This average includes 21 students with perfect scores of 800 on at least one portion of their SAT exam. Four scored a perfect 1600 on the combined Math and Verbal sections. Of the 35 scholarship recipients, 83 percent have received recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. All those who are ranked by their high schools fall in the top five percent of their classes. The recipients are a diverse group of varsity athletes, team captains, student council officers, musicians, and thespians.

"We owe an indescribable debt of gratitude to the hundreds of school counselors who nominate these outstanding young people, and the nearly 700 alumni volunteers across the country who help select the candidates. Again this year the quality of students nominated for this scholarship was nothing short of exceptional,” said James H. Wright, Executive Director of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation.

"Those selected are all devoted to the pursuit of excellence as reflected in their rich diversity of interests and backgrounds,” Wright said. "They are being sought by the nation's most highly selective institutions and have the potential to benefit the University in a most substantial way."

Financed entirely with private funds, Jefferson Scholarships are designed to help the University attract the most promising student leaders in the country. Among the students selected in prior years are four who subsequently were named Rhodes Scholars.

Students may not apply to become Jefferson Scholars, but rather must either be nominated by their schools or identified through the admissions process. More than 2000 schools are eligible to nominate scholarship candidates, including every secondary school in Virginia.

The Jefferson Scholars Class of 2009:

* Ethiopian citizen; attended high school in Northern Virginia