Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to Alicia Chu from Newark, Delaware, our 2024 $10,000 CARR Scholarship for Excellence in Civics and Overall Academics! Alicia graduated from Archmere Academy with a 4.55 GPA, an SAT Score of 1570, an ACT Score of 36 and will be attending Harvard University and New England Conservatory Dual Degree Program this fall. Her superior academic achievements, combined with her amazing law-related and outstanding extra-curricular activities, plus her inspirational essay complete the picture of our perfect scholarship recipient.
Education: Senior, Class of 2024, Archmere Academy High School, Claymont, DE
· Overall Weighted GPA after 2022-2023: 4.49 (4.0 scale)
· 2023-2024 APs: AP French Language, AP Literature, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Seminar, AP Statistics, AP US Government
· 2022-2023 APs: AP Chemistry, AP Calculus BC, AP European History, AP Computer Science A, AP Language
· 2021-2022 APs: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP US History, AP Computer Science Principles;
· 2020-2021 APs: AP Chinese Language
· SAT: 1570 (EVBRW: 780, Math: 790)
· School Clubs: Student Council, Mock Trial, Youth in Government, Drama Club, DEI, Math League, Tapestry, Creative Writing, Auk Ambassadors, Helena Raskob Music Institute, Liturgical Ensemble, National Honor Society
Extra Curriculars:
· 2022-2024 Juilliard Pre-College, voice major (GPA 4.0)
· 2020-2024Delaware Youth in Government
· 2023-24 Archmere Academy Senior Leader
· 2022-2023 Senior Center Music Initiative
· 2020-2022 Ballet training at First State Ballet Theatre (13 yrs ballet total)
· 2020-2022 Piano Lessons with Mitzi Dewhitt (11 yrs piano total)
· 2020-2024 Wilmington Community Evangelical Church youth group, Praise team
· 2020-2022 The SPARKS Project (student organization providing awareness and knowledge in STEM to kids K-5) head of YouTube committee
· 2021-2022 Hagley Museum volunteer
· 2018-2022 Paid job as an actor/native speaker of Chinese for the AAPPL video production
Major School Achievements/Activities:
· 2023-2024 National Honor Society Member, National French Honor Society Member, National Science Honor Society Member
· 2024 National Merit Scholarship Recipient
· 2022, 2023AP Scholar with Distinction
· 2023 Delaware Scholastic Writing Awards: 1 Silver Key, Winner of Personal Essay and Memoir categories
· 2022 Scholastic National Writing Award: 1 Silver Key, Winner of Personal Essay and Memoir categories
· 2022 Delaware Scholastic Writing Awards: 2 Gold Keys, Winner of Personal Essay and Memoir categories
· 2024 Delaware Mock Trial Competition: Varsity Team, 4th place state team, 2x Gavel Award for Attorney
· 2023 Delaware Mock Trial Competition: Varsity Team, 4th place state team, Attorney
· 2022 Delaware Mock Trial Competition: Varsity Team, 2nd place state team, Gavel Award for Attorney
· 2021 Delaware Mock Trial Competition: JV Team, Gavel Award for Witness
· Freshman, Sophomore, Senior Student Council Representative, Junior Executive Student Council Representative
· 2022-2024 Founder and President of Youth in Government Delegation at school (20+ people, self-moderated)
· 2024 Tapestry Literary Magazine Editor-in-Chief
· 2024 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Club Co-President
· 2022-2023 Drama Club Secretary
· School Musicals (2023: Willy Wonka, costume designer, 2022: Once Upon a Mattress, Assistant Director, Role: Mime Princess; 2021: Into the Woods; Role: Cinderella's Mother)
· School Plays (2022: The Brightest Thing, Assistant Director; 2021: Lost Girl; Role: Therapist)
· 2021 Delaware 9th Grade Math League Competition, 2nd place Team
· 2021-2022 Stage Band, Keyboard player
· 2020-2024 Green Concert Series and Helena Raskob Music Institute, Solo/Duet Singer
Extra Curricular Awards/Competitions:
· 2023-2024 Winner of Distinguished Young Women of Delaware
· 2024 Delaware State Chief Justice (DE Youth in Government)
· 2022, 2023 Associate Justice (DE Youth in Government)
· 2023-2024 YWCAYW certified racial and social justice leader/facilitator
· 2023 United States Senate Youth Program Finalist
· 2021, 2022 National Judicial Competition Competitor for Youth in Government
Music Awards/Achievements:
· George and Nora London Foundation Scholarship Recipient (2023)
· 2021-2022 NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Competition: National 2nd Place winner in Lower High School Musical Classical Treble Voices category 2021-2022 NATS Texoma Region Lower High School Division 1st place winner
· 2021-2022 MTNA (Music Teacher National Association) Competition: National 3rd place Senior Voice winner 2021-2022 MTNA Eastern Division “Senior Voice” winner, MTNA Delaware Senior Voice winner
· 2023HalLeonardHighSchool Voice Art Song third place winner
· 2022-2023 Music International Grand Prix Vocal Competition Asia semi-final Teen Classical Voice 3rd place
· 2023 Classical Singer Competition; all-state winner, semi-finalist
· 2022 Schmidt Competition Boston Finalist and Most Promising Sophomore Award and Scholarship
· 2022 National Young Arts Foundation Merit winner in Voice, awarded scholarship
· 2022 Classical Singer Competition; semifinalist
· 2021-20221stplace winner of American Protege International Music Talent Competition
Congratulations to Annika Krovi from Greenville, South Carolina, our 2024 $10,000 Catherine G. Jurgemeyer Scholarship Winner! Annika graduated number one in her class from J.L. Mann High School Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Technology with a 5.607 GPA and an SAT Score of 1570 and will be attending Harvard University this fall. Her superior academic achievements, combined with her amazing law-related and outstanding extra-curricular activities, plus her inspirational essay complete the picture of our perfect Jurgemeyer scholarship recipient.
Education: Senior, Class of 2024, J.L. Mann High School Academy of Mathematics, Science and Techology
Extra Curriculars:
à Elected Chair of national organization and youngest member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), representing 10,000+ students
* Member of South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Committee
* Delegate to 2024 Democratic National Convention
* Attendee at DNC Fall meeting in St. Louis, US-India Summit on the Hill, and White House events on gun violence prevention
* Duties: Run Executive Board meetings, represent youth voice at DNC meetings and public engagements, plan and coordinate strategies for internal improvements and national expansion
* Previously appointed by National Executive Board to serve as Chief of Staff (July 2022 - July 2023) and National Committee Coordinator (2021 - 2022)
* Elected as head of the model legislature for a one year term (2022 - 2023)
à*Duties: plan and serve at conference, run programming, oversee leadership team, represent state at highly competitive Conference on National Affairs/Youth Governors Association
- Held 2 summer internships with professors at Arnold School of Public Health
Awards/Honors:
· Cameron Impact Scholarship, Finalist
· National Merit Scholarship, Semi-Finalist
· Coca-Cola Scholars, Semi-Finalist
· NSDA Speech & Debate , National Awards of Merit, Honor, Excellence, and Distinction earned
· YMCA Youth in Government, Participant in highly selective Conference on National Affairs
· 2022 AP Scholar with Honor, AP Scholar with Distinction
· 2023 AP Capstone Diploma
· J. L. Mann Academy Awards, Head Junior Marshal (#1 rank)
· SC PTA Reflections , National Award of Merit and State Award of Excellence for Literature
· Choral performance (selected performer at Carnegie Hall, 2019)
· Classical flute performance
Congratulations to Cameron Reckard from Sheridan, Wyoming, our 2023 $10,000 Catherine G. Jurgemeyer Memorial Scholarship Winner! Cameron graduated from Sheridan High School with a 4.94 GPA, an ACT Score of 36 and will be attending Harvard University this fall. His academic achievements, combined with his amazing law-related and extra-curricular activities, plus his inspirational essay complete the picture of our perfect scholarship recipient.
The Importance of Law-Related Education in Today's Society
Cameron Reckard
When the United States was a fledgling country on the world stage, Benjamin Franklin
supposedly commented to a curious woman that the new nation was a "republic, if you can keep it."
The founding fathers created systems, written out in the Constitution, to ensure that American
citizens had the power to do just this. Through protections such as the right to protest, the right of each American to bear their arms. and even the right to remain innocent in crimes until proven guilty, they worked to protect future generations from a government attempting to overreach its authority.
But as years passed. the memories of those who fought in the Revolutionary War began to drift away. The names of some of the founding fathers slipped from memory. The rigid guidelines
enshrined in the Constitution began to blur.
Now, over 300 years since the nation's founding, this trend has left America with a society
largely uneducated about the government that controls it. Any brief search online will unearth
numerous videos of regular citizens who cannot even name the three branches of government. much less describe how they work. This lack of knowledge is a danger with the power to cripple the nation that long served as a beacon of hope for so many.
The threats of this lack of education are already visible in society. Take Koremaisu v. United
States, where the government decided it was appropriate to revoke civil rights based solely on
race. Even decades later, the decision remains unmodified by the courts. Or Chiafalo v.
Washington, with the courts confirming that the system of electors carefully planned by the
founders had become one of a popular vote, a far cry from the original plans of less-biased
individuals selecting the person best fit to lead the nation as President. More recent still is the far broader use of executive orders from the President for reasons from student loan forgiveness to vaccination mandates for federal employees, frequently bypassing the organization of elected
individuals representing the people in the interest of making things happen quickly. These are the oversteps Benjamin Franklin warned the earliest Americans about, yet they continue to pass by with minimal (if any) public outcry.
Civic education provides a chance to teach these students about the systems that operate our
government of today and why they exist in the first place. Through programs like We The
People, it helps them to explore the broader contexts for events, like the original separation of
senate elections from the people, and to form their own opinions about where these systems
stand in the America of future years. Through government classes, students learn the rights given to them as American citizens, rights they must know exist if they wish to protect them in the future. And most importantly of all, it encourages them to hold their government accountable, standing up against injustices or oversteps, because they will understand the bounds it must remain within. In essence, it provides the tools they need to protect our republic.
The results from this are tangible. Within the We The People program, my fellow unit members and I combed through court rulings, congressional legislation, executive orders, and the
Constitution itself, comparing the government action of today with the foundations laid out for it. Working with fellow participants in the United States Senate Youth Program, we held civilized debates on the current state of our nation, even inspiring some of our peers to consider careers in public service. Even in Model United Nations, my fellow delegates and I needed to lay down our biases at the door. working as a team to find the solution to real problems impacting the world.
So, as a society, we are left with a question. The founding fathers gave us a republic, but can we keep it? Can our nation remain a beacon on the hill to serve as a guide for others looking to
embrace democracy themselves? The answer lies in how we educate the youth of our nation. Do we emphasize helping them to understand their place within the broader American government? Or do memories of civic duty fade from existence?
Democracy dies in darkness. It is up to us to shine the light.
Cameron is one of the most gifted students I have had the opportunity to teach over the past twelve years. The first two words that come to mind when I think of Cameron are dependable and dedicated.
Cameron gives up time to help current students with their knowledge and preparation. His dedication is incredible. He will go above and beyond the requirements and give of his time and talent to help others.
Cameron makes connections with people easily, is a great listener, a creative problem solver, and a talented leader...I have also been extremely impressed with his drive, time management skills, goal-setting and goal-achievement in the academic arena, while also working at our local Y ... again, showing his capacity and energy.
Whether he is preparing evidence for competing in Public Forum or writing legislation for Congress or House sessions, Cameron is a powerhouse in each and every round. I don't believe I have ever seen a student who can outwork Cameron in his effort to truly understand all angles of the issues he is debating!
Cameron Reckard is a student who I consider head and shoulders above so many of his peers
because of the qualities that I have mentioned above. I cannot think of a more well rounded student at our higb school.
Congratulations to Kamala Karuppiah from East Brunswick, New Jersey, our 2022 $10,000 Catherine G. Jurgemeyer Memorial Scholarship Winner! Kamala graduated from East Brunswick High School with a 4.64 GPA and will be attending Cornell University this fall. Her academic achievements, combined with her amazing law-related and extra-curricular activities, plus her captivating essay met the exact qualifications of what the Jurgemeyer Scholarship Committee was looking for.
I execute lesson plans, maintain communication with the club and individual members, mentor new club members, lead practice trials, and prepare myself and the team for competition. I am currently organizing future events for the club to work with younger students and interact with professionals in the legal field.
The Importance of Law-Related Education in Today's Society
Kamala Karuppiah
“Seniors: Get out and vote” the principal announces over the loudspeaker.
This announcement perfectly led to the start of a new unit in my sophomore IPLE (the Institute for Political and Legal Education) class. The unit was about the importance of voting.
One of the topics that were emphasized was that despite the countless stories of how just one vote changed history, many people who are eligible to vote do not vote because they think their vote will not matter among the millions of voters. At first, we were baffled: why would citizens, who have the right to vote, choose not to? Soon, we collectively realized that not everyone cares about voting because they do not understand the impact that voting can have on the entire society. Our assignment was to think about how we, as a society, could bolster voter turnout.
On my way home that day, my eyes were drawn to campaign posters on the side of the roads, and when I got home, everyone posted cool buttons saying “I voted.” To me, it looked like people cared. I didn’t think voter turnout was a problem until I realized that members of my own
family didn't prioritize voting. As soon as I walked into my aunt’s house, I saw a mail-in ballot with empty boxes sitting on the dining table. When I asked my aunt about it, she said she did not
know any of the candidates running, so she would fill it out later. Later meant that it wound up at
the bottom of a stack of bills and junk mail. One forgotten ballot under the pile of junk mail adds
up across households, contributing to low voter turnout. I was confused. I was angry. Why did
she not care?
I understood the power of voting because of my participation in classes and activities like IPLE, Model United Nations, Mock Trial, and being a student in a civic-minded school environment. However, not everyone understands this important responsibility. Just in my school, only 28 out of the 728 seniors took IPLE, a civics class, this year. This is reflective of the many individuals who do not prioritize law-related education.
In today’s society, with critical issues at hand like climate change, equal rights, and safety in public places, especially schools, we must vote on local officials, senators, and representatives in order to help create the society we want to live in.
Law-related education is also extremely important because we need to know our basic rights in our societies to prevent any type of abuse or injustices. I realized this when my IPLE class learned about student rights: students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”
Having a basic knowledge of your rights found in common federal laws, traffic laws, Miranda rights, patients’ rights, consumer protection laws, federal domestic violence laws, and property laws, to name a few, are important so we are not facing dangerous situations or any level of mistreatment.
Law-related education helps students learn how to voice their opinions and where to voice injustices. For example, a victim of domestic violence, living in the United States, did not know if and where she could seek help for ten years. In another example, my mom’s friend did not even know the existence of a consumer court or how to complain about a grocery store continuously selling spoiled goods. These are only a few examples of how law-related education serves to be extremely important in our day-to-day lives. When we as a society begin to realize the importance and impact of certain policies and laws, we begin to care about them. Caring can turn into anger, disappointment, or passion, and all these feelings ultimately sum into action. We
develop the desire to change the society around us for the better.
Law-related classes create change-makers who realize their role in their community. They foster future board of education members, representatives, leaders, and most importantly genuine, participating citizens. Not all of these students will be attorneys or government officials, but almost all of them will be active citizens. With participating citizens, accountability is enforced, which can help the efficiency, productivity, and integrity of the government and government officials.
My IPLE class not only taught me Supreme Court cases and political philosophy, but we as a class developed civic responsibility.
I live in this society. I am a part of my community.
We are responsible for it.
We will change it for the better.
Kamala is an exceptionally bright and inquisitive young woman whose dedication to law related education is unsurpassed.
Kamala has shown significant success in differing types of law related education, from Model
UN through the Competition on the Constitution to Mock Trial. In each of these venues, Kamala
has skyrocketed to the forefront through her strong intellectual abilities, dedication and drive to
excel. It is rare to find someone so successful in such diverse venues- a testament to the depth
and breadth of Kamala's commitment to law related education and her embrace of civic virtue.
The first things that come to mind about Kamala are her intelligence, motivation, maturity, and ability to grow. Playful and yet studious, she handles difficult tasks with a maturity uncommon for students of her age...She commands the incredibly potent combination of raw intelligence, exceptional work ethic, academic curiosity, and most importantly, a uniquely strong ability to accept, internalize, and adapt to constructive feedback. She is a sponge, naturally absorbing information and constructive criticism to grow faster than others around her.
Kamala is one of the truly rare students of her age and frankly, her generation, that combines superior intellect and academic success with the ability to develop strong relationships with others in a variety of contexts. The way she carries herself confidently, treats others with respect and kindness, expresses appreciation, and exhibits professionalism allows her to forge genuine and lasting relationships with her peers and mentors.
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