UD tops nation in number of Horatio Alger scholars

The University of Delaware has more Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans scholars enrolled than any other educational institution in the U.S. The four-year scholarship program is awarded to high school seniors who would not be able to attend college without financial aid, have faced and overcome great obstacles in their lives, and who intend to use their college degrees in the service of others.

The University has eight Horatio Alger scholars currently enrolled, including Catherine D. Asem HNS 2004, Newark; Michael R. Bender AG 2001, Harrington; Sheena M. Benton AS 2003, Houston; Amber A. Christopher HP 2002, New Castle; Jonathan Gibson AS 2001, Georgetown; Michele Keough HSN 2003, Bridgeville; Robert Klenk AS 2004, Hockessin; Lauren R.C. Tooley AS 2004, Milton.

Asem was born in West Africa and sent to live with her aunt in the U.S. when she was two-years old. Her mother joined her two years later. Asem went to school in Queens and from the first, she was teased and harassed by other children who did not understand her culture.

"They made me feel bad as a person but my mother told me that they just didn't understand and that stereotypes aren't real."

Asem said her mother's wisdom and faith helped her to succeed in school to the point that she is now thinking of becoming a doctor. Her major is medical technology and when she graduates from UD, she will either go on to medical school or become a physical therapist.

Christopher is a junior at UD. She was awarded her scholarship in 1998. She is working toward dual certification in elementary and special education. When she graduates in 2002, she said she intends to teach disabled children in a public school in Delaware.

Gibson's life was changed by illness and resulting unemployment but the hardships that his family experienced only made him more determined to succeed in school and someday give back to the community. He is a senior, majoring in criminal justice and said he will either go to law school, become a police officer or work within the criminal justice system to help people salvage their lives.

Keough knows exactly what she wants. Her major is fitness management and she intends to work in cardiac rehabilitation. But, she said she also wants to coach a community sports or recreation team after work hours to give something back to the community.

Klenk, a freshman, is a biology major whose father died of leukemia two years before he graduated. His mother is disabled and cannot work. Klenk is determined to become a doctor working in a hospital. He said he isn't interested in making a lot of money, "I just want to help people."

Tooley, a freshman, is still trying to decide what to major in, but she does know that she wants to help people who have mental and emotional problems. She said overcoming personal conflicts in her own life has given her the desire to help others cope with theirs. She is leaning toward a major in psychology or individual and family studies.

Tooley graduated from Cape Henlopen High School sixth in her class as a member of the President's Honor Society.

Like these students, the Americans who are members of the association were all born to struggling families with little material wealth, had to assume responsibilities way beyond their years and worked their way through school, eventually, becoming successful and committed to serving others.

One factor that has solidified UD's relationship with the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is the late Delawarean John W. Rollins Sr., former chairman and CEO of Rollins Jamaica Ltd.

Mr. Rollins became a Horatio Alger Association member in 1963. He served as chairman, president and CEO, and most recently, as chairman emeritus and treasurer. In 1998, Mr. Rollins received the Norman Vincent Peale Award, given to members who have made exceptional humanitarian contributions to society; have been active members of the Association, and who have continuously exhibited "courage, tenacity, and integrity in the face of great challenges."

Rollins exemplifies the Horatio Alger ideal. He was born in Keith, Georgia, in 1916 and grew up to be one of the most successful entrepreneurs in America. At age 12, with an ill father, Rollins took on the responsibilities of the family's 80-acre farm.

He was determined to get an education even though he had to walk nine miles each way to school. Eventually, he turned $500 cash into an auto dealership leading to the multi-million dollar company he ran before his death in April.

Membership of the association is as diverse as the nation itself, including recently inducted actor Tom Sellek; H. Ross Perot; Oprah Winfrey; Robert Crandall, chairman and CEO of American Airlines; Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson; former U.S. Sen. Robert Dole; musician Quincy Jones; author/actress/poet Maya Angelou; and Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and current secretary of state.

–Barbara Garrison