Kemper Scholars Program selects 4 Olin students

Four students in the Olin Business School Class of 2020 have been selected for the prestigious Kemper Scholars Program. The James S. Kemper Foundation of Chicago, Illinois has been supporting Kemper Scholars since the program’s inception in 1948.

Tiffany Chiang, Maria de Figuerdo, Angelica Harris, and Charlyn Moss were selected from a group of national finalists as four of the 16 members of this year’s incoming class of Kemper Scholars.

The Kemper Scholars Program mission is to develop the next generation of business leaders, with a special focus on the insurance industry. By identifying high-potential undergraduate students and supporting them with a comprehensive program of scholarships, mentorship and internships, the Kemper Scholars Program helps students develop both practical and professional skills to become the next generation of effective business leaders.

“Kemper Scholars are a select group of undergraduate students from top colleges and universities around the country,” explains Jerry Fuller, Executive Director of the James S. Kemper Foundation. “They are selected because they are committed to their studies, serve their communities, and because they have exhibited leadership and well-rounded, ethical character. Throughout the over six decades of the program, scholars have gone on to make outstanding contributions as leaders in organizations around the world.”

Recent research reports that employers rank real world experience in internships and work while in college as a primary criterion in hiring recent graduates. The Kemper Scholars Program helps students apply their academic education to the world of professional careers, making connections between the classroom and the workplace.

Kemper Scholars receive scholarships during their sophomore, junior, and senior years of college. During the summer following their sophomore year, Scholars live in Chicago, where they intern at Chicago’s top nonprofits and participate in weekly educational seminars. Following junior year, scholars secure paid business internships at for-profit businesses across the country. Every summer, all current Kemper Scholars attend the Kemper Career Institute in Chicago, where they discuss their summer work and experience, meet with former Kemper Scholars, and consider topics in management, leadership and business.

“In our time of rapid change and globalization and the need for complex problem-solving and innovation skills, we at the James S. Kemper Foundation are proud of our role in helping shape the next generation of leaders,” said Joe Lacher, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “Kemper Scholars’ strong academic background and real-world experience will help successfully launch them into the business world.”