West Virginia University - News and Information Services
WVU's Renzelli, Glass named 'Leadership Scholars' for outreach, advocacy
West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is honoring two of its students who have spent their college careers reaching out to AIDS and HIV sufferers in South Africa and troubled teens in Jamaica and Philadelphia’s inner city.
Emily Renzelli and Bryce Glass have been named Eberly College Dean’s Leadership Scholars for 2007-08. They’ll each receive a $3,000 scholarship and will represent the college by giving presentations at various meetings and recruiting activities. They’ll also serve on Eberly student advisory committee.
“Emily and Bryce have demonstrated the positive impact students can have on their communities,” Eberly Dean Mary Ellen Mazey said. “We commend them for their hard work and commitment to academics, leadership and community service – and we’re proud and pleased they’ve chosen the Eberly College as their academic home.”
Emily Renzelli
Renzelli is a senior political science and philosophy major from Bridgeport. She studied abroad in South Africa as a sophomore, where she worked in community development and performed an HIV/AIDS case study.
She’s a member of the Roosevelt Institution, a nonprofit, non-partisan national network of campus-based student think tanks. She’s working to create a WVU branch of the institution and was published in its “25 Ideas” series.
Renzelli also interned at the Koch Foundation, an organization which supports research and education programs that analyze the impact of free societies and how advance the well-being of mankind.
She is in the Honors College and on the debate team, and she has taught the Freshmen Honors Orientation Class.
She was a Truman Scholarship finalist and the winner of the American’s for Informed Democracy “Buzz Cuts” contest, which aims to raise funds for malaria prevention. She’s implementing her malaria campaign this fall.
Bryce Glass
Glass is a senior philosophy major from Baltimore. The AmeriCorps volunteer recently spent a year in Philadelphia as part of the organization’s “City Year” effort, where he mentored inner-city youth and helped put several community projects into place.
He also worked with youth in Jamaica as a coordinator with Rasta Reality International, an outreach group.
Glass is also on the WVU Lacrosse Team and he’s been able to employ his love of the sport, and his college major, in community projects here at home: He’s a longtime volunteer with the Kaleidoscope Community Learning Center in Morgantown, and he frequently teaches philosophy lessons and lacrosse fundamentals to elementary school children in the after-hours programs.
He’s also known as the resident philanthropist for the team: In years past, he’s organized auctions to raise money for lacrosse sticks for local schools.
Students selected as Dean’s Leadership Scholars must demonstrate strong academic potential and leadership ability, plus a proven commitment to community service.
For more information, contact Brenda Riggle is the Eberly College Office of the Dean at brenda.riggle@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-4611.