Each year, University Housing singles out qualified and deserving students living in the residence halls and gives them a little financial boost, based on specific scholarship criteria. Read on to meet this year’s beneficiaries.

George L. Droll Award Winner

Dan Lose

Award: 2009 George L. Droll Award, a $1,000 room-and-board credit named for the man who joined University Housing in 1960 and served as its director from 1980 until his death in 1995

Hometown: Rochester, Minn.

Year in school: Sophomore

Major: Pre-nursing

Residence hall: Hillcrest

Why Iowa: I love sports and wanted to be at every Hawkeye football and basketball game. I also loved that the campus seemed very small for such a large university.

Reason for living on campus: I like the convenience of being on campus, but my favorite part is the sense of community I feel living with hundreds of other students. You meet a lot of new people and have numerous opportunities to get involved in different organizations.

Extracurricular activities: I work at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as a Crewhawk doing routine maintenance for the Athletics Department. I also play intramural football and basketball with a group of friends and volunteer at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics each week.

Fall living arrangements: I hope to be a resident assistant in the fall, but if that doesn’t work out I will live in Hillcrest again.

After graduation: I’d like to have a job as a nurse or possibly attend graduate school.

David Coleman Scholarship Winner

Emily Pudenz

Award: 2009 David Coleman Scholarship, a $900 award given to a student who has overcome adversity to be successful at the University. Before his retirement in 2005, Coleman was a University Housing staff member who championed the causes of students who needed and deserved a second chance.

Hometown: Lake City, Iowa

Year in school: First-year student

Major: Biology with pre-chiropractic intent

Residence hall: Slater

Why Iowa: The campus has a great feel to it. It’s large, but it gets small quick, once you find your community. It just felt like the college I was meant to go to. Plus, it has a great biology program.

Reason for living on campus: At first it was for the convenience—it’s great to live somewhere where you don’t have to clean a bathroom or worry about what to make for dinner. Now I wouldn’t trade living in the residence halls for anything because I met all my greatest friends there. Living on campus is a great way to stay connected with the University and meet new people.

Extracurricular activities: I work at the Hillcrest Market Place and Wild Rose Books in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. I also participate in The Language Connection, 24/7, and Verve, and serve on the executive council for Night Games.

Fall living arrangements: Mayflower

After graduation: I hope to go to chiropractic school in the Midwest and start my own small clinic.

Other scholarships

In addition to the George L. Droll Award and the David Coleman Scholarship, University Housing annually awards the Hawkeye Food Service Student Employee Scholarships, in partnership with the Iowa Memorial Union. The $750 scholarships are awarded to select individuals who work in either Burge or Hillcrest Market Place or in IMU Food Services.

The following students received a Residential Dining Student Employee Scholarship in 2009:

Jordann Kunkel, junior, Sioux City, Iowa

Salena Hagarty, sophomore, Jesup, Iowa

Kaitlin Loos, junior, Hoffman Estates, Ill.

Ellis Miller Mumford, senior, Indianapolis, Ind.

Andrew Omundson, junior, Oskaloosa, Iowa

Katherine Pearce, senior, Long Grove, Iowa

For more information on University Housing scholarships, call 319-335-3000 or e-mail housing@uiowa.edu.

by Sara Epstein Moninger