2016 Jefferson Scholar Rosie Randolph '16
Sixth Former Rosie Randolph has been awarded one of the most highly selective merit scholarships in the nation. The Jefferson Scholars Foundation at the University of Virginia selected Rosie as one of 34 recipients of the Jefferson Scholarship. She will begin her studies in there in the fall.
In order to be named a Scholar, candidates must undergo a rigorous, highly competitive, multi-stage selection process. This year, out of the approximately 1,800 students nominated for the Scholarship, 120 finalists were invited to take part in a five-day competition at U.Va., which included seminar discussions, essay and mathematics examinations, as well as interviews conducted by U.Va. alumni and faculty.
The 34 selected recipients of the 2016 Jefferson Scholarship boast a number of significant achievements, and Rosie is no exception. As the 2012-13 Diman Scholar at Portsmouth Abbey, Rosie was selected from a competitive field of applicants to receive a full, four-year scholarship to the Abbey. While here, she has excelled academically and in a wide range of extracurricular activities, from being a Gold Medal Winner in the Latin IV Poetry Section of the National Latin Exam and a "Commended Student" in 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program, to being a captain of the Varsity Softball Team and a member of Model UN. She received a national award for outstanding musicianship at the Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festival, and she took home several prestigious awards, for both her intellect and character, as a Fifth Former at last year's Prize Day.
"I am not surprised that our Diman Scholar is now a Jefferson Scholar," said Portsmouth Abbey Headmaster Dan McDonough. "From the beginning of her career here, when Rosie earned a scholarship for a month-long summer literature and architecture program to Oxford University after her Third Form year, she has been an educational leader on campus and has always sought to obtain the very most from her education, in all its forms. We will look forward to hearing of Rosie's successes in the future, of which, I am confident, there will be many."
Rosie will join a community of 138 current Jefferson Scholars this fall. In addition to receiving the full cost of attending the University for four years, Jefferson Scholars benefit from a number of enrichment programs sponsored by the Foundation, including travel abroad, career networking activities, an outdoor challenge program and a leadership speaker series.
Congratulations, Rosie!