CONWAY, Ark. (March
23, 2021) – Thirty-two first-year Hendrix College students have been selected for
the Murphy Scholars Program.
Murphy Scholars
explore literature and language at a more intensive level by participating in
designated study, travel, research, and service experiences in literature and
language during their sophomore, junior, and senior years at Hendrix. The
program is open to students of all majors; this year’s cohort includes students
majoring in ten unique areas of study.
“This is a
strong cohort,” said Hope Coulter, Hendrix-Murphy Foundation director.
“Starting college in an all-virtual format as they did certainly wasn’t the
college experience of their dreams. Yet they jumped in, worked hard, and got
involved to the point of applying this spring to become Murphy Scholars.
They’re a very diverse group, not just with regard to ethnicity, genders, and
majors but also as far as their interests in literature and language. We have
one who’s eager to learn Swedish, for instance, and one who already co-founded
a new poetry group on campus.”
The Class of 2024
Murphy Scholars in Literature and Language are:
- Keeley Ausburn
of Maumelle, Arkansas (English-Literary Studies and Politics)
- Connor Bennett
of Conway, Arkansas (Philosophy)
- Samantha
Broussard of Pass Christian, Mississippi (English-Creative Writing)
- Kaleigh Coker
of East End, Arkansas (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
- Annie Elliott
of Albuquerque, New Mexico (English-Literary Studies and Politics)
- Cade England of
Fayetteville, Arkansas (Biology)
- Tyler Francis
of Bryant, Arkansas (Biology)
- Bergen Franklin
of Fayetteville, Arkansas (Politics)
- Paige Fuhrman
of Bryant, Arkansas (English-Literary Studies)
- Bri Graggs of Little
Rock, Arkansas (Biology)
- Yaritza
Hernandez of Little Rock, Arkansas (Biology)
- Kaylee Jacobs
of Bentonville, Arkansas (Undecided)
- Colin Jenkins
of Austin, Texas (Politics and English-Literary Studies)
- Aadharsh
Jeyasakthivel of Bedford, Massachusetts (Psychology)
- Ronni Laslo of Batesville,
Arkansas (Biology)
- Bauer Lee of Little
Rock Arkansas (Psychology)
- Gabbie Lefear
of Little Rock, Arkansas (Undecided)
- Sophie O’Reilly
of Tulsa, Oklahoma (English-Creative Writing and Anthropology)
- Houston
Phillips of Boise, Idaho (Politics)
- Luke Pitts of Alma,
Arkansas (English-Creative Writing)
- Camryn Presley
of Greenwood Arkansas (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
- Corissa Ross of
Little Rock, Arkansas (Politics)
- Lily Ryall of Little
Rock, Arkansas (Undecided)
- Emma Schroeder
of Magnolia, Arkansas (French)
- Claire Segura
of Austin, Texas (Anthropology)
- Maeve Smith of Rogers,
Arkansas (Environmental Studies)
- Ainsley Walker
of Batesville, Arkansas (Undecided)
- Audrey Williams
of Russellville, Arkansas (Biology)
- Marcia Williams
of Vilonia, Arkansas (Anthropology)
- Trevion
Williams of Forrest City, Arkansas (Politics and Economics)
- Vada Wood of Clarksville,
Arkansas (Undecided)
- Sophie
Yarbrough of Rogers, Arkansas (Biology and English-Literary Studies)
All Murphy Scholars will graduate with
distinction, having completed an Oxford-style tutorial course in language and
literature and three of the Murphy Scholar Program’s approved co-curricular
experiences in literature and language.
In lieu of an
in-person ceremony, the Murphy Scholars Class of 2024 induction will consist of
a pre-recorded event for students and their families to attend online on
Tuesday evening, March 30. This induction will also recognize the cohort of
2023; due to the pandemic, they had to forgo an induction last spring.
About the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation
Hendrix-Murphy
Programs enrich the study of literature
and language for Hendrix College as a whole as well as for students with
intensive interest in those areas. The late Mr. Charles H. Murphy, Jr., former
Chair of the Board of Murphy Oil Corporation and former member of the Hendrix
Board of Trustees, established the Foundation in 1978 in memory of his mother,
Mrs. Bertie Wilson Murphy. A 1905 graduate of Galloway Women’s College—which later
became part of Hendrix College—Mrs. Murphy possessed a lifelong love of
literature and language, to which these programs are exclusively dedicated.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix
College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal
arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40
Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic
quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture
in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more,
visit www.hendrix.edu.