UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SERVICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND VOCATIONAL EXPLORATION


St. Olaf Sponsored Undergraduate Scholarships:

There is one application process for the four scholarships listed below. Students are welcome to apply for more than one scholarship for any given semester.

Application Deadlines:

  • Summer: All documents are due by 5:00pm on April 1st
  • Academic Year (David Minge only): All documents are due by 5:00pm on April 1st
  • Interim: All documents are due by 5:00pm on October 30th

Scholarship Guidelines

Eligibility Guidelines:

  • Internships must be taken for credit and must follow guidelines for Domestic Academic Internships or International Academic Internships (applicants for tha David Minge Scholarship also have the option of participating in an off-campus study program in Washington, D.C.)
  • Applicants must be currently enrolled as a St. Olaf student and at the time of the application must have completed at least one full year of college
  • A minimum GPA of 2.5 will be required, although special cases will be considered
  • Students applying for a Summer scholarship must be enrolled for subsequent Fall term
  • Preference will be given to students who are not being paid for their intern experience
  • Students are strongly encouraged to pursue opportunities which will provide new and different experiences otherwise inaccessible to them

Terms of Agreement:

  • Scholarship recipients shall serve at least 160 hours over a minimum of four weeks
  • Upon returning to campus, the scholarship recipients shall submit a short reflection essay (350-500 words) that summarizes what you did and what you learned from the experience
  • Recipients shall meet with a CEL staff member and find a way to share their experience with the broader St. Olaf community
  • Recipients will be awarded scholarships in the form of a credit to their student accounts

Application Requirements:

Application Form*
     Includes Application Information, Written Statement (general), Written Statement
     (scholarship specific) and Estimated Itemized Budget
Resume*
Unofficial Transcript*
Faculty Recommendation Form**
Letter of Support for Internship Site**

* Apply through OleRecruiting (www.stolaf.edu/services/cel)
1) Save your filled out application form, resume and unofficial transcript to a common location.  To save the transcript, log into the SIS system, choose grades, and then transcript; save the file as an .html document.
2) Log into OleRecruiting.  Click on the Documents tab across the top of the screen.  Upload each of your documents (note: upload the application as a writing sample).
3) Click on Employers (tab across top), enter St. Olaf College as a keyword, click on St. Olaf College, choose Available Positions, and click on Undergraduate Scholarships (Interim). 
4) Use the drop down buttons on the right side of the description to select your resume, application and unofficial transcript.  Then click on Submit.  If you have successfully applied, you will see “You have submitted an application for this position” written just under Application Status on the top right.

Assistance uploading documents available at the Center for Experiential Learning.

** Faculty Recommendation Form and the Letter of Support from Internship Site should be submitted to Sandy Malecha in the Center for Experiential Learning through email <malechas@stolaf.edu> or mail (1520 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield, MN, 55057)

Scholarships will be given based on five primary criteria:

  • Relationship of internship proposal to the goals of the specific scholarship
  • Substance of the written proposal
  • Evidence of sound preparation for the academic program and/or internship experience
  • General academic performance
  • Faculty support

The Center for Experiential Learning is available to assist you with the process of finding and selecting an internship or with other aspects of the application process.  If you are seeking possible internship opportunities, please come by the CEL and work with a Peer Advisor to learn strategies for your search. If you have specific questions about the scholarship application process, please contact Sandy Malecha at malechas@stolaf.edu.

Scholarship Descriptions

Kloeck-Jenson Scholarship for Peace & Justice Internships (Interim or Summer)
Award Amount: Typically $1000-4000 (dependent on proposal and student need)
*The cost of tuition associated with a 0.5 credit academic internship may be included for students completing summer internships

Created to honor the memory of Scott Kloeck-Jenson, his wife Barbara, and their two children, Zoe and Noah, this award provides funding to support students pursuing an academic internship related to peace and justice issues. More specifically, students are encouraged to engage in activity that addresses the causes and impact of economic, political and social injustice and violence.

Following graduation, Scott served in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa, and later became the head of the University of Wisconsin's Land Tenure Center program in Mozambique helping African policymakers develop a democratic system for land use. On June 23, 1999, while on vacation in South Africa, Scott and his family were killed in a tragic automobile accident. The family and friends of Scott and Barbara created the Kloeck-Jenson Endowment to fund academic initiatives that encourage the study of peace and justice issues. Learn more about the Kloeck-Jenson family.

Past Recipients

Summer 2009
Jennifer Kanz ’10, Fundacion Yanapuma and Parque Itchimbia; Quito, Ecuador
Eric Anderson ’10, Jewish Council of Urban Affairs; Chicago, IL
Subhash Ghimire ’10, Davis Projects for Peace/Fulbari Summer Camp: Building Hope for Nepalese Children; Arupokhari, Nepal

January 2009
Vera Belazelkoska ’09, Opportunity International; Granada, Nicaragua
Hannah Clark ’09, School for Social Entrepreneurship; London, UK
Tiffany Heaver ’09, Women in Progress; Cape Coast, Ghana
Alexandra Josephsen ’09, Bangkok Refugee Center; Bangkok, Thailand
Michaela McLaughlin ’10, L.I.F.E. - Luchemos para una Infancia Feliz y Esperanza; Argentina
Andrea Mulhausen ’09, EIM Medical Mission, The Wilson Team; St. Paul, MN & San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Summer 2008
Hashim Yonis ’10, Somali Youth; Nazareth, Ethiopia
Katherine Tecku ’10, Washington Environmental Council; Seattle, WA

January 2008
Rachel Bean ’08, African Impact; Livingstone, Zambia
Bethany Birkelo ’08, African Impac; Linvingstone, Zambia
Polina Bugayev ’10, Interfaith Service to Latin America; Jalapa, Nicaragua
Katie Dobie ’08, Laogai Research Foundation; Washington, D.C.

Summer 2007
Katherine Parent ’09, U.S. Embassy, Oslo, Norway
Katie Rogotzke ’09, Global Youth Connect, Caracas, Venezuela

January 2007
Laura Groggel ’08, Bria Schurke ’08, Shayna Melgaard ’07 and Charity Hall ’07
Click here to read about the 2007 Kloeck-Jenson scholarship recipients.

January 2006
Deanna Steege ’06, Roots and Shoots, Tanzania
Anna Gieselman ’06, Children Better Way, Buduburam Camp, Ghana

Summer 2005
Ishanna Rambachan ’08, Shanti Ashram, Tamilnadu, India

January 2005
Erin Callaghan ’05, Resource Center of The Americas
Renzo De la Riva Aguero ’05, Samana Wasi, Urubamba, Cuzco, Peru
Brian Jacobson ’07, Amigos de las Americas, Costa Rica & San Jose, Mexico
Lucas Paulsen ’05, Cloudforest Initiatives, Chiapas, Mexico
Rebekah Menning ’05, Independent Study of "Domestic Violence in Mexico", Puebla & Cuetzalan, Mexico

2004
Bryan Hinck ’06, medical clinic in Gimbie Ethiopia
Jesse Horst ’06, Associacion de Paz y Esperanza, Huanuco, Peru
Pete Stiles ’05, medical clinic in Gimbie, Ethiopia
Rachel Dixon ’05, Katanga Province, Democratic Repblic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)
Lauren Wendt ’04, Nuevo Amanecer Andino, Urubamba, Peru

2003
Erin Callaghan ’05, Amigos de las Americas, Esperanza, Honduras
Pam Parnell ’04, Kuban State University, Krasnodar, Russia
Michael Shoemaker ’04, Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Monterrey, Mexico
Liv Sulerud ’04, Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution, Monterrey, Mexico
Emily Sandgren ’03, WATCH, Minneapolis, MN
Sarah Olson ’03, Ecumenical Church Loan Fund Dominicana, Dominican Republic
Anna Heinz ’04, v.Bodelschwinghsche Anastalten Bethel, Bielefeld, Germany

Joy Korda Schaefer Scholarship for Vocational Internships (Interim or Summer, depending on the availability of funds)
Award Amount: $1,000- 2,500 (dependent on proposal and student need)
*The cost of tuition associated with a 0.5 credit academic internship may be included for students completing summer internships

Named for Joy Korda Schaefer, who during her life demonstrated a desire to learn by doing, the scholarship is given to a student participating in an academic internship that contributes to their search for meaning in life and learning. More specifically, students are encouraged to engaged in activity that will promote vocational growth.

Past Recipients


Interim 2009
Tyler Barth ’09, Forest City Sustainable Communities; Stapleton, CO

Summer 2008
Jacob Schlichting ’09, American Dance Festival, Durham, North Carolina

Summer 2007
Molly Boes ’08, University Good Samaritan Center, Minneapolis, MN
Kristian Eikevik ’08, Regional Hospital of Cusco & Hospital Antonio Lorena, Cusco, Peru
Abby Hughes ’08, Washburn Child Guidance Center, Minneapolis, MN

Summer 2006
Kate Jadin ’07, Cuauhnahuac Spanish Language School, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Christopher Del Blum ’07, St. Paul Council of Churches Dept. of Indian Work, St. Paul, MN
Meghan Hein ’07, Her Own Words, Madison, WI
Mary Sotos ’07, Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy, Northfield, MN
Rachel Bjorhus ’07, Witness for Peace, Washington, D.C.

Melvin George Scholarship for Service and Leadership (Summer)
Award Amount: $1000-3000 (dependent on proposal and student need)
*The cost of tuition associated with a 0.5 credit academic internship may be included for students completing summer internships

Named for St. Olaf College President Emeritus Melvin George, this award is intended to support activities that encourage and develop leadership skills and commitments of service among students.  The award provides financial support for student(s) who would otherwise be unable to engage in leadership service during the summer months.  The award encourages applicants to develop an idea for service work in church, government, business or community that addresses some societal need.

Dr. Melvin George was the president of St. Olaf College from 1985 to 1994. Born in Washington, D.C., Melvin George obtained a Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton University. An active Lutheran layman, he was the first president of the college not to be an ordained member of the clergy.

Past Recipients

Summer 2009
Aaron Stauffer ’10, Inspired to Serve; St. Paul Area Council of Churches; St. Paul, MN
Nicholas Kang ’12, Smart Step Youth Initiative Program/Merritt Hockey School; Merritt, British Columbia, Canada
Samantha Sickbert ’11, Wilder Foundation; St. Paul, MN

Summer 2008
Daniel Nierengarten’09, Foundation for Sustainable Development, Masaka, Uganda

Summer 2007
Tony Paterno ’09, Global Service Corps, Tanzania, Africa
Carl Samuelson’08, Alliance For Sustainability, Minneapolis, MN

Summer 2006
Elisa Poquette ’08, J.D. Rivers' 4-H Children's Garden, Theodore Wirth Park, Minneapolis, MN
Cara Engelstad ’07, Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy, various locations
Laura Barnard ’07, St. Aemilian Lakeside, Milwaukee, WI
Ahmed Ali ’09, Rochester International Youth Organization, Rochester, MN

David Minge Scholarships for Peace & Justice Internships/Academic Programs in D.C.  (Summer, Interim or Academic Year)
Award Amount: $1,000 (in most instances)
*The cost of tuition associated with a 0.5 credit academic internship may be included for students completing summer internships

Named for David Minge ’64, this award helps defray costs for St. Olaf College sponsored academic programs or academic credit internships in Washington D.C. Students are encouraged to engage in activity that will allow them to learn about issues of peace and justice and to participate in the political process.

  • In the case of an academic program, the program must be sponsored by St. Olaf College (e.g., Washington, D.C., Semester - The American University)
  • In the case of an internship, the internship must follow the St. Olaf Academic Internship guidelines

David Minge '64 has had a distinguished career as a lawyer, U.S. Congressmen (representing Minnesota’s Second District, and judge. He has been a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., a fellow in the W.W. Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Program and a lecturer at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Learn more about David Minge.

Past Recipients

Summer 2009
Rachel Kitze ’11, American University; Washington, D.C.

Summer 2008
Emily Tremblay ’10, Washington Semester Internship

Summer 2007
Samantha Mehrotra ’09, Washington Semester Internship
Daniel Nierengarten ’09, Washington Semester Internship