Four Kenyon students have received the Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarship that supports Ohioans who are interested in mathematics and related fields.
This year’s winners include a member of each class. They are Yasha Cohen, a first-year student from Beachwood; Noah Bartlett, a sophomore from Hudson; Sarah Keller, a junior from Brunswick; and Cynthia Stevens, a senior from Columbus.
Established in 2014 by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, Kenyon’s Knowlton Memorial Scholarship Fund provides financial aid to students for all four years at Kenyon.
Cohen, a member of the squash club, is interested in completing a degree in physics in three years before studying engineering at Washington University in St. Louis as part of a special partnership with Kenyon.
“I see physics as a way to make sense of a world which can appear completely disorderly,” he said. “Not only do I want to understand this disorder, but I want to put that understanding to use in order to make the world a better place.”
Bartlett, a member of the track team, has decided on majoring in chemistry and joining a chemistry research lab. He is part of Club Swim at the College and also participates in the volleyball club.
He said the financial assistance provided by the award has been so helpful to him and his peers. “I am very appreciative of this scholarship and the continued support of the Knowlton Foundation for my education and others,” he said.
Keller, who attends Kenyon with her sister Samantha — a member of the Class of 2030 — is a physics major who is minoring in Spanish. She plays clarinet in the Knox County Symphony, sings with the Take Five jazz a cappella group, serves as a Community Advisor in a residence hall, and tutors local members of the Latine community through a program called Hola.
She said the support provided by the award has been crucial to her educational journey. “I am always incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Austin Knowlton scholarship, as it helps financially aid me in my pursuit for higher education, an opportunity that would be harder to obtain without its support,” she said.
Stevens, a mathematics major, said her ultimate goal is to get a doctorate in math and become a mathematics professor. An Eagle Scout, she remains active in Scouts BSA and serves as an adult troop leader in her hometown of Columbus. She also is part of the Kenyon Community Choir.
She said her work in mathematics so far has been incredibly rewarding. “What I love so much about math is the structure of it and how I get to participate in building the structure by working through theorems and seeing the connections between topics,” she said.
Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton was chair and owner of the Knowlton Construction Company, which completed more than 600 significant construction projects throughout Ohio and the Midwest, including schools, hospitals, libraries and post offices. As an Ohio businessman and philanthropist, Knowlton worked to help Ohioans earn degrees from Ohio colleges and universities.