Grand Island's Jessica John wins $2,500 national Tau Sigma scholarship

Released on 02/26/2010, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Lincoln, Neb., February 26th, 2010 —
Jessica John
Jessica John

University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Jessica John of Grand Island has been awarded a $2,500 National Tau Sigma Scholarship.

John earned one of 28 Tau Sigma scholarships awarded in 2010, and which ranged from $250 to $2,500. Scholarships are awarded based on a student's application detailing academic achievement and student involvement and service to the local chapter, the university, and the community.

She transferred to UNL in August 2008 after studying at both Central and Southeast community colleges and is majoring in elementary education and special education. As a para-educator she created a voluntary after-school club to help students learn about others' cultures in order to help classmates interact more positively. To better empathize with students from other cultures and life circumstances she spent two months last summer volunteering in Kenya, living with families, teaching at two local schools, and helping distribute donated food. In Lincoln, she is a TeamMates mentor to a sixth-grade girl. John is president of Tau Sigma of Nebraska and also secretary of the UNL chapter of Pi Lambda Theta, an honorary and professional association in education. After graduating from UNL, John said she plans to earn a master's degree in social work.

Tau Sigma, chartered 11 years ago, is a national honor society for transfer students. Those who transfer a year of credit, are full-time, degree-seeking students, and who earn a GPA of 3.5 in their first semester at UNL, are invited to join the honorary. The Nebraska chapter was established in 2003. UNL is the only university to have a scholarship winner in each of the six years of the national competition.

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