A new cohort of Stamps Scholars was welcomed to the University of Miami recently, a multidisciplinary group of eight students who are the recipients of the University of Miami’s most prestigious academic scholarship award.
The Stamps Scholars program was established at the University of Miami in 2009 and is generously supported by Penny and Roe Stamps through the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, and UM. With the addition of the new students, there are now 34 Stamps Scholars on campus.
“We congratulate you for your dedication to your education and your record of exceptional achievements,” UM President Julio Frenk told the scholars at a get-together Aug. 15. “You embody the mission of excellence at the University of Miami. As Stamps Scholars, you set an example and bring out the best in all of us.”
The Stamps Scholarship covers expenses and full tuition for each student’s four years of undergraduate study. It also provides a unique enrichment fund that supports extracurricular opportunities such as study abroad, research, and academic conferences. It is awarded annually to a select group of high school seniors after a rigorous selection process. The scholarship recognizes students for their outstanding academic success, leadership potential, talent, passion and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
“Through our strong partnership with the University of Miami, we take great pride in our support of these remarkable young people,” said Roe Stamps, who is a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees.
“When we meet them, we so often hear about their deeply personal ambitions, which might be in music, science, design, business or medicine,” he added. “Penny and I love to learn about their unique goals, as we know that they, as Stamps Scholars, will have the financial support to pursue their ambitious aspirations. They will also benefit from the Stamps community, both on campus and through the national network of Scholars, as well as from advice from faculty and alumni at the University of Miami.”
Four of the eight new Stamps Scholars for the class of 2022 represent a broad range of disciplines from biology to human and social development:
- Sydnie Kupferberg, New York, New York, human and social development, School of Education and Human Development
- Julia Platt, Atlanta, Georgia, biochemistry and molecular biology, College of Arts and Sciences
- Bishara Randolph, Northville, Michigan, public health, School of Nursing and Health Studies
- Pranav Sriraman, Whitefield Bangalore, India, biomedical engineering, College of Engineering
Four others are music majors, accepted into the program as Stamps Ensemble Scholars at the Frost School of Music. They will form the Stamps String Quartet, class of 2022:
- Lydia Newtown, Moss Point, Mississippi, Instrumental Performance, Violin
- Soohyun Chae, Seoul, South Korea., Instrumental Performance, Violin
- Wynne Owre, Miami, Instrumental Performance, Viola
- Ruth Stokes, Centerville, Minnesota, Instrumental Performance, Cello
“The University of Miami offers an educational and worldly experience unlike any other,” said Kupferberg, who is eager to integrate into the UM community. “It allows students to transform into leaders by studying their many divergent interests, and by being challenged take on new interests. The Stamps Foundation has made my dream come true by allowing me to become a part of such a distinct and life-changing university,” she said.
Pratt agrees. “I am so grateful to have received the Stamps Scholarship and to have joined a community of scholars that will open the doors to endless, enriching opportunities for me to grow as a leader and to gain the tools necessary to pursue my many career goals from a dynamic, civic-minded perspective.”
The outstanding musicians who will comprise the Stamps String Quartet have already started rehearsing together.
“The Stamps Scholar Program will be an extraordinary opportunity to study chamber repertoire with dedicated fellow musicians, while being coached by top-notch faculty in a highly nurturing environment,” said violinist Lydia Newton. “Having worked with Frost musicians during previous summer enrichment programs, I look forward to new musical collaborations. I am eager to explore the academic and musical spheres of the University of Miami.”
