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Standouts in classroom and community rewarded as Case, Melville, and Trustee scholars By David J. Craig Antonios Clapsis (CAS'01) says that when he gets some free time, he's happier to "go out and do something rather than just sit around." Judging by his resume, the junior international relations major is rarely burdened with a spare moment. In addition to maintaining a 3.84 GPA, he is president of the Greek Orthodox Youth Association, vice president of the Warren Towers Residence Hall Association, treasurer of the Pre-Law Review, and a volunteer for Connections to College, a program that promotes higher education to inner city youth.

In addition, for the past three years the son of Greek immigrants has been a member of a steering committee responsible for creating a master plan for development in his hometown of Westwood, Mass. "My activities are expressions of my interests," says Clapsis, who wants to enter the United States foreign service after graduation.

President Westling with this year's Sophomore Trustee Scholars: (from left) Antonios Clapsis, Nicholas Reese, Jacqueline Morris, Alexandra Fol, and Christine Songy. Not pictured is Jason Brosch. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

It's that kind of dedication and diversity of pursuits that the University recognized when Clapsis and five other BU sophomores were presented with Sophmore Trustee Scholarships at the School of Management on May 1. Recipients of this year's Dean Elsbeth Melville and Harold C. Case Scholarships joined the Trustee scholars at the event. Parents, faculty, alumni, and fellow students gathered to honor the academic and extracurricular achievements of all three groups.The scholarships are among the highest academic honors the University bestows upon its undergraduates. Selection is based on academic performance and community involvement, and competition is rigorous. "The awards given out today recognize academic excellence as well as service to the University and the greater community," said President Jon Westling, addressing the students at the ceremony. "These awards recognize your achievements at the University, but also speak of the promise we see for your remaining years here and for your careers in the wider world."Pushing oneself, guiding others The Sophmore Trustee Scholarships include full tuition during the recipient's junior year and is renewable for the senior year if the student maintains a GPA of 3.5 or higher. This year, the six sophomore Trustee Scholars were chosen from an applicant field of 77 sophomores. Also receiving Sophmore Trustee Scholarships were: Jason Brosch (ENG'02), an electrical engineering major; Alexandra Fol (SFA'02), who is majoring in piano performance and composition; Jacqueline Morris (SMG'02), a finance major; Nicholas Reese (CAS'02), an international relations major; and Christine Songy (SAR'02), a physical therapy major. This year's 13 Case and 2 Melville scholars were chosen from a pool of 210 submissions, according to David Shepro, CAS professor of biology and chairman of the University Fellowships and Scholarships Committee. They will each receive an award ranging from $1,000 to full tuition and fees, depending upon need. "As a member of the Scholarship Committee, each year I am certain that the quality has plateaued," Shepro said at the ceremony, describing the selection process. "The following year I am proven wrong, as a new zenith of excellence is apparent. Faced with two candidates' superb credentials, and with the sole option of selecting only one candidate, I wish that Yogi Bera's brilliant aphorism were possible: 'When you come to a fork in the road, take it.'"

The Melville Scholarship was established 21 years ago in honor of the late Elsbeth Melville (CAS'25), the longtime dean of women at BU. Each year, it is presented to two junior women who have excellent academic records, high moral character, display potential usefulness in their chosen fields, and contribute to the life of the University.

President Westling with Dean Elsbeth Melville Scholars Andrea DePaulis (left) and Jeanne Vultaggio. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

Andrea DePaulis (SED'01), one of this year's recipients, is a special education and elementary education major and plans to teach children with disabilities. She has served as a student teacher at the School of the Cathedral in Baltimore, Md., and the Alcott Elementary School in Concord, Mass. Last fall, she was a teaching assistant in the SED course Cultural Foundations for Educators."Her students described her as 'outstanding,' 'enthusiastic,' and 'extremely knowledgeable,'" Westling said, in presenting the award to DePaulis. "Her professor wrote, 'Dean Elsbeth Melville could not herself have found a more effective force dedicated to enhancing the lives and future prospects of these college students.'"Jeanne Vultaggio (SFA'01), a music education and brass performance major, and this year's other Melville Scholar, plans to teach music at the high school level. At BU, Vultaggio has performed with the Genesis Horn Quartet and the Woodwind Quintet, and she is vice president of the BU Chapter of the Music Educators National Conference, a member of the Trustee Scholar Steering Committee, and a writer for the Daily Free Press. She is also a member of several pit orchestras and gives music lessons to children in the summer."I'm always going to make time for my own playing, because music and theatre are my two big passions," she says. "But I think that to have a hand in another person's improvement is one of the greatest feelings. My mom is a music teacher, and I knew that that's what I wanted to do since I started college."

Living a passion

The Harold C. Case Scholars for 2000, honored at a May 1 ceremony at the School of Management: (seated, left to right) Julie Schultz, Ellie Gebarowski-Shafer, Tammy Holm, and Barbara Lauriat. Standing are Tara Yaekel, Rebecca Samson, Robert Caplen, Janan Siam, Christopher Owens, Vedant Kulkarni, and President Westling. Not pictured are Traci Graff, Laura Bottoms, and Dove Pedlosky. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

The Harold C. Case Scholarship was established to honor the former BU president upon his retirement in 1967, and each year it goes to at least 10 outstanding juniors who "exhibit great scholarly accomplishment and potential, as well as participate in extracurricular activities that contribute to the University." One of this year's recipients is Ellie Gebarowski-Shafer (CAS'01), an English major who has done missionary work for the United Pentecostal Church in Taiwan and has contributed to or edited The Core Journal, The Core Newsletter, The Marsh Chapel Newsletter, and Clarion; next year, she will be editor of The Brownstone Journal. "I really like intellectual discussion, and the great thing about The Brownstone Journal is that because their work is being published, writers stay involved in their ideas for a long time, while they're being edited and reworked," says Gebarowski-Shafer, who plans to teach English abroad after graduation and eventually become an English professor. "With a paper you write for class, on the other hand, you probably never want to think about it after you turn it in." This year's other Case Scholars and their majors are: Laura Bottoms (CAS'01), French language and literature and Hispanic language in literature; Robert Caplen (CAS'01), history and music; Traci Graff (CAS'01), earth sciences; Tammy Holm (CAS'01), biochemistry and molecular biology; Vedant Kulkarni (CAS'01, MED'01), philosophy and medical science; Barbara Lauriat (CAS'01), classical civilizations and history; Christopher Owens (ENG'01), computer systems engineering; Dove Pedlosky (CAS'01), English; Rebecca Samson (CAS'01), chemistry; Julie Schultz (CAS'01), economics; Jana Siam (SAR'01), physical therapy; and Tara Yaekel (COM'01, CAS'01), journalism and French.

For Gebarowski-Shafer, the Case award may carry a special meaning: as Westling observed in presenting her award, the late president, like Gebarowski-Shafer, was guided by a tremendous faith. "The way I was raised is that everything you do in life is tied to spirituality, and I try to approach intellectualism the same way," she says. "I want to live my passion all the time."

1 June 2000
Boston University
Office of University Relations