GAMBIER — Four Kenyon students have been named Knowlton Memorial Scholars and awarded Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarships, which support Ohioans interested in mathematics and related fields.
This year’s Knowlton Memorial Scholars include a member of each class who comes from all corners of the state. They are first-year Sarah Keller of Brunswick, sophomore Cynthia Stevens of Columbus, junior Jonathan Lee of Cincinnati, and senior Kyle Kelley of Perrysburg.
Established in 2014 by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, Kenyon’s Knowlton Memorial Scholarship Fund provides financial aid to students for all four years at Kenyon.
Sarah Keller
Keller enjoys problem-solving and is considering majoring in physics or math. A musician, she plays clarinet in the Knox County Symphony and sings with the Take Five jazz a cappella group.
Keller said having a scholarship like this is an important financial and mental support source.
“What I want to pursue is challenging, and it’s encouraging to know that I have foundations of people who support me in my endeavors,” she said.
Cynthia Stevens
Stevens plans to major in mathematics and minor in philosophy. Her ultimate goal is to become a high school math teacher.
An Eagle Scout, she remains active in Scouts BSA and serves as an adult troop leader in her hometown of Columbus. She also is part of the Kenyon Community Choir.
“I love math because of how logical it is and how many different areas of math there are,” she said.
Jonathan Lee
Lee is a math and statistics major with a music minor who is interested in data science and data analytics.
He plays the saxophone and serves as the librarian for the Kenyon Symphonic Wind Ensemble. He is also the director of the Kenyon Pep Band.
A student analyst in the Office of Institutional Research, Lee said he is grateful for the scholarship because it has helped him confirm his interest in pursuing work in math and statistics after graduation.
“My Kenyon courses and professors have been especially helpful in affirming my plans, and I am grateful for the Knowlton Scholarship’s role in that,” he said.
Kyle Kelley
Kelley is a Kenyon STEM Scholars Program member and a mathematics and music double major.
He is part of the K-STEM peer mentoring program and a tutor at the Math and Science Skills Center. He hopes to attend graduate school in mathematics and one day become a professor.
Kelley plays in the college’s percussion and jazz ensembles and creates the crossword weekly in the Kenyon Collegian student newspaper.
The senior said he finds math inspiring and looks forward to continuing his exploration.
“Math is so much more than taking derivatives and solving equations like a machine,” he said. “It’s finding patterns in unexpected places and searching for reasons to expect them. It’s problem solving with friends not because the solution will be useful, but simply to answer an unanswered question.”
The Knowlton Foundation
The Knowlton Foundation has awarded Kenyon grants totaling more than $740,000. These funds are invested in the college’s endowment, and income is restricted for Knowlton Memorial Scholarships.
Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton was chair and owner of the Knowlton Construction Company, which completed more than 600 significant construction projects throughout Ohio and the Midwest, including schools, hospitals, libraries, and post offices.
As an Ohio businessman and philanthropist, Knowlton worked to help Ohioans earn degrees from Ohio colleges and universities.