Outstanding Academics, Opportunities and Diversity Draw the Nation s Top Students to UC

Their outstanding achievements and future potential make them the nation’s most highly recruited students by universities. Now, UC’s 10 recipients of the full, $88,000 Presidential Cincinnatus scholarship are revealing why they chose UC.

Those who grew up nearby say they already knew about the national reputation of a top research university that was right in their backyards. Some are following a Bearcat family tradition. Others are entering UC this fall from Illinois and North Carolina.

Since 1997, UC’s Cincinnatus Scholarship Program has provided different levels of awards for academic achievement, leadership and commitment to community service. As part of their scholarship commitment, each scholarship recipient will perform 30 hours of community service each year. The full, $88,000 awards cover tuition, fees, room and board and books.

Brian Barney – The 18-year-old resident of South Holland, Ill., is a graduate of Seton Academy. He is majoring in the health sciences exercise science track in the College of Allied Health Sciences. “I have a love for sports and a love for science, and I wanted to find a way to fulfill both passions,” Barney says. His high school leadership activities crossed academics, the arts and athletics: captain of cross-country track and field; jazz ensemble; president of student council; tech program; National Honor Society and National English Honor Society. His service activities included tutoring underserved elementary school children, volunteering at the Sandridge Nature Center and serving as a volunteer coach for the Illinois Stealth Bombers Track Club. Barney says he was drawn to UC because of the faculty and facilities as well as the men’s track and field program, where he’ll become a member of the team. He says he’s looking forward to making new connections at UC, expanding his academic and cultural horizons and improving as an athlete.

Alexandra Bowles – The 17-year-old resident of West Union, Ohio, was valedictorian of West Union High School. “UC was my first choice when I began looking at universities,” she says. “Its size, diversity, clubs, activities and gorgeous campus were among the first things to catch my eye, but the outstanding academic programs and opportunities made my choice even clearer.” Bowles is a biological sciences major in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and plans to become an orthopedic surgeon. Her high school activities included playing four years of varsity golf (where she was captain and medalist), four years of varsity softball and one year of varsity basketball. Her honors as a scholar athlete include the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award and the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association (OHSFSCA) Scholar Athlete Award all four years of high school. Her service activities have included volunteering for Angel Food Ministries, trick-or-treat for UNICEF, participating in the Hoxworth Blood Drive, peer tutoring and educating peers on the dangers surrounding “sexting” – using technology to send sexually explicit messages. At UC, Bowles says she’s looking forward to meeting new people and immersing herself in UC’s academics as well as student life on campus. She is the daughter of Don and Venita Bowles.

Parthib Das – The 18-year-old resident of Ada, Ohio, is a graduate of Ada High School. The National Merit Scholar is entering UC’s Connections dual-admissions program, which allows qualified high school students to reserve a place in UC’s College of Medicine once they earn their baccalaureate degree at the university. In high school, Das was active in academics, athletics and the arts. He was a four-year member of varsity soccer, varsity swimming and varsity track. He was student council president, senior class president, language club president, editor of his school newspaper and president of his high school’s National Honor Society chapter. He also sang and danced in his high school choir. His service activities included volunteering more than 250 hours at Hardin Memorial Hospital and Hardin Hills Nursing Home. As he enters UC, he says he’s looking forward to great classes, making new friends and discovering opportunities in and out of the classroom.

Hannah Grossman – The 18-year-old resident of Hamilton, Ohio, is a graduate of Lakota West High School and plans to major in biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS). She says her service activities involving global mission work led to her interest in pursuing a career in medicine. She is a recipient of the State Board of Education Award of Merit and the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. Her high school activities included the position of goalie on the lacrosse team and she was also a crew member with the Great Miami Rowing Center, as well as a member of the Lakota West Marching Firebirds. Grossman’s sister, Emily, and father, Theodore, are both UC alumni. She says she chose UC because of its diverse, active campus community, and adds that UC “has an excellent engineering and medical program and has a great co-op program to help set students off into the working world.”

Kaitlin Kinney – The 18-year-old resident of Beavercreek, Ohio, is a graduate of Beavercreek High School. She plans to major in graphic communications in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). “In searching for a university that offered my major, I found no finer program than the one provided by DAAP,” says Kinney. “Its exceptional reputation caught my eye and encouraged me to visit the campus for a tour. Once on campus, I realized that UC was the perfect school for me,” she says. In addition to being a member of the Beavercreek High School Marching Band through all four years of high school, Kinney also participated in a school jazz ensemble and played French horn in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She was a 12-year member of the Beavercreek Soccer Association as well as Girl Scouts of America, in which she recently completed the Silver Award. Her service activities included volunteering at a daycare and early childhood education center as well as working with fundraisers sponsored by the Beavercreek Youth Council.

Brendan McDonough – The 18-year-old resident of Colerain, Ohio, a graduate of Colerain High School, plans to major in communication in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. Both his mother, Lori Fisher McDonough, and his father, Joseph McDonough, are UC alums. Brendan McDonough was a four-time varsity letter recipient in track and field and a three-time varsity letter recipient in cross country. He was also captain for both sports. His service activities include missionary trips and serving as a camp counselor with his church’s youth summer camp. He also served as head coach of a community basketball team. McDonough graduated summa cum laude and was a National Merit Finalist. He says he chose UC because of its academic reputation, the size and diversity of the campus and its state-of-the-art facilities.

Logan Nagel – The 18-year-old Walnut Hills, Ohio, resident is a graduate of Summit Country Day School and will be a Kolodzik Business Scholar in the College of Business. He comes from a family of Bearcats. He says his grandfather, Robert W. Mode, worked his way through school to become a mechanical engineer, and his parents, Christine Mode Nagel and John Nagel – both alumni of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning – met at UC. “UC appealed to me partly because of my family’s legacy there,” he says. “I wanted to walk the halls where my relatives had, and also make a difference. At UC, there are opportunities seemingly bursting out of the buildings.” Nagel was an AP scholar with distinction from the National College Board and earned honors in English, science, Latin and history. His high school activities included the mock-trial team, golf and tennis. His service activities included tutoring high school freshmen, and he says he wants to continue serving as a tutor through college. As he looks ahead to starting UC in the fall, he says he’s looking forward to meeting new people. “I simply cannot wait to meet all these interesting individuals who are going to shape me as I go through this adventure.”

Davida Scoggins – The 18-year-old resident of Charlotte, N.C., is a graduate of Victory Christian Center School. The National Merit Finalist plans to major in industrial design in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). “We heard that DAAP was one of the top colleges in my field of study, so I applied and was invited to the Cincinnatus competition,” she says. “After the first round of the competition, we went on a campus tour and found the DAAP building was amazing. Every student in DAAP who we talked with seemed to absolutely love it, and said that although their program was a ton of work, it was completely worth it. Now, I can’t wait to start school this fall!” Scoggins was captain of her track and field team. Her service activities included leading a fundraiser to benefit an orphanage in Thailand. She has also worked with a program that supports at-risk teens and is active with her church’s service efforts. Her exemplary academics and commitment to her community resulted in receiving the President’s Cup – the highest student honor at her high school. She was also named a Miss Teen North Carolina State Finalist with the National American Miss Pageant.

Zachary Tucker – The 18-year-old resident of Lima, Ohio, is a graduate of Shawnee Senior High School. He plans to major in electrical engineering. Tucker says he chose UC because of its great co-op program (UC is the world’s founder of cooperative education), a spectacular campus with a state-of-the-art Rec Center and UC’s hundreds of student organizations in which to become involved on campus. His high school activities included soccer, track and field, drama club and high-school theater. He is also an Eagle Scout and a recipient of the United States Youth Certificate of Recognition.

Alexa Wainscott – The 18-year-old resident of Madeira was valedictorian of Madeira High School and plans to major in classics in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. The National Merit Scholar is designated as a UC Semple Latin Scholar. “At UC, I’m looking forward to studying Latin, studying abroad, participating in school activities, performing community service and meeting new people,” says Wainscott. Wainscott’s service activities included working as a counselor at a camp for mentally and physically challenged children. She was also active in Relay For Life, a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society, as well as her high school Latin Club and theater. She’s from a family of Bearcats. Her mother, Kelley, earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communication and her father, David, earned a degree in finance.

Cincinnatus Scholarship Program

Scholarships at UC