Published on Feb. 20, 2019
Hi everyone! My name is Caitlin, but you can call me by my middle name, Sunshine. I am a sophomore Stamps Scholar here at Mizzou from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Two weekends ago, the other current scholars and I got to welcome 28 finalists for the Stamps Scholarship. Sadly, we were missing one of our scholars and friend, Toyin Jackson, as she is studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain! Go check out her blog, as well.
Anyways, the other sophomore scholars and I had the privilege of hosting the event, while the freshmen scholars conducted finalist interviews with other faculty members. Beginning Thursday night, all of the scholars, Dr. Bowers, and Ava Drayton had dinner in downtown Columbia with Randy McDow, the executive director of the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. Randy so graciously flew out to Columbia to join us for our third annual Stamps weekend and we had the chance to chat about the strides the Stamps program is making on Mizzou’s campus, our plans for the weekend, and the upcoming Stamps Scholars National Convention in April. Friday night, we had a dinner with the finalists and their guests, along with faculty and staff from all avenues of Mizzou’s campus. Major Garrett, a Mizzou alum, was the keynote speaker, who talked about his fascinating work as a White House correspondent. Saturday began with interviews for the candidates and a few different panel sessions from current scholars’ parents, the Honors College, and opportunities for involvement on campus. Saturday night, we got to mingle and answer more questions from the finalists at Shakespeare’s, a local pizza joint here in Columbia, and the new bookstore, Skylark. The other current students and I answered all kinds of questions from the finalists, including, “Which dining hall has the best dessert?” and, “Have you ever seen Michael Porter, Jr. on campus?”
As the weekend drew to a close, the other scholars and I reflected on our past semester or three here in Columbia. I speak for all nine of us when I say that we are humbled and grateful to be a part of such an incredible program that has opened doors and opportunities beyond belief. It is a true honor to know that a family we have never met in person has put their trust in us to represent their program and this university. We are all extremely excited to meet Roe Stamps in just a few weeks at the Stamps Scholars National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia and fellow Stamps Scholars from all around the country. April 12th can’t come soon enough!
– Caitlin “Sunshine” Kelleher, Stamps Scholar Class of 2021