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 and come from across the state. They are Noah Bartlett, a first-year student from Hudson; sophomore Sarah Keller of Brunswick; junior Cynthia Stevens of Columbus; and senior Jonathan Lee of Cincinnati.
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.
Bartlett, a member of the Kenyon track team, is considering majoring in physics or chemistry. He is a lifeguard and part of Club Swim at the College, and he hopes to become a volunteer emergency medical technician through a program for students with the Mount Vernon Fire Department.
“What I love so much about physics is how much we don’t know in physics,” he said. “There is still so much to be discovered and researched. There are constantly new theories about issues in physics.”
Keller, who attends Kenyon with her sister Rebecca — a member of the Class of 2026 — 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, and serves as a Community Advisor in a first-year residence hall.
She said she is so grateful for the support the award provides as she pursues her academic passions. “STEM is so important to me because it encourages me to be curious, develops my problem-solving skills, and allows me to think more critically, while also gaining some hands-on experience,” she said. “I am honored to work hard not only for myself, but also for those who are supporting me.”
Stevens, a mathematics major, said her ultimate goal is to become a high school math teacher. 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.
Her favorite thing about math, she said, is how challenging it is. “I love sitting down to do a problem or write a proof and just wrestling with the concepts,” she said. “I might get stuck or be wrong a couple of times, but it is so fulfilling when it finally clicks and I figure it out. Math really challenges me to think deeply and fully understand what I am working on.”
Lee is a math and statistics major with a music minor who plays the saxophone and serves as the librarian for the Kenyon Symphonic Wind Ensemble. He also is director of the Kenyon Pep Band. A student analyst in the Office of Institutional Research, he is interested in pursuing a career in data analytics or market research.
Support from the Knowlton scholarship has been a welcome reminder for Lee of all the opportunities that exist in the mathematics department at Kenyon. “What I most appreciate about the field are the ways in which statistics and data can be used to solve real-world problems and improve the lives of others, which I hope to contribute to in my career,” he said. “It is always satisfying to solve a mathematical problem, but even more so when there are tangible impacts that come with it.”
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.