The League of Women Voters Oxford/North Mississippi has awarded two local students the Dianne S. Fergusson League of Women Voters scholarship.
The scholarship, named in honor of Dianne Fergusson, founder of the Oxford/North Mississippi league, was awarded to seniors, Willa Grace Burger, a senior at Lafayette High School and Sophie Quinn, a senior at Oxford High School.
All applicants completed an essay on the topic “Why I Am Voting in 2020.”
The students were awarded the scholarship on June 3 by Linda Bishop, president of the League.
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Burger, daughter of Kristina May of Oxford and Matthew Burger of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, succeeded in graduating a year early from Lafayette High while working part-time and actively participating in community service projects at Hermitage Gardens, the Veteran’s Home and LeapFrog. She graduated 20th in her class and was awarded Special Honors at Lafayette this spring.
She has been involved with Lafayette Girls powerlifting for the last three years and has been active in the Crown Club and Lafayette High School Young Life. Burger has been awarded the VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship and the Northwest Presidential Scholarship. She plans on pursuing a medical career in dermatology or plastic surgery after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Mississippi.
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Quinn, daughter of Susie Adams and Charles Quinn of Oxford, is a semi-finalist for the 2020 US Presidential Scholars Program, a National Merit Scholar, and a Mississippi Star Student. She graduated fifth in her class at Oxford High and has been awarded a Fritch scholarship, a National Merit Scholarship and a Future Influential Woman scholarship.
Quinn has been a volunteer at the Lafayette County & Oxford Public Library for six years, and a youth leader at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford. In addition to her school work, she has studied dance, voice and piano and has been involved with OHS theater, the Gay-Straight Alliance, Peaceful Discourse, Mock Trial, Orchestra, French Club and the UUCO Youth Group.
She will be going to Germany in January with the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange before pursuing studies in physics and French at Carleton College.
The League of Women Voters of Oxford/North Mississippi, founded in 2017, is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.
Staff report
