Allegheny College Senior Jacqueline Coplen Named Rhodes Scholarship Finalist

Nov. 14, 2014 – Allegheny College senior Jacqueline Coplen, a political science and Spanish double major, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

If awarded, Coplen, of Carlisle, Pa., will be among 32 U.S. students to receive the honor for an opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in England. She also will be the first Allegheny College student to receive this scholarship.

“It’s hard to put into words the way I felt when I found out that I had been selected as a finalist. It didn’t seem real at first,” says Coplen. “I’m honored to be representing the college in this capacity. I’ve been able to do a lot of important things in my life, but this is definitely the biggest stage that I’ve been on thus far.”

“When Jacqui came to me about the Rhodes Scholarship last spring, it was clear that she’d been thinking about applying for a long while,” says Patrick Jackson, Allegheny College national fellowships adviser and visiting assistant professor of history and religious studies. “She knew the deadlines, what she wanted to study and that just putting the application together would be a long and arduous process – and she has brought a high level of commitment to that process. She’s an impressive young woman.”

In addition to maintaining a near-perfect grade point average, being a two-time recipient of the Alden Scholar Award for academic excellence and serving as a fellow and research assistant for Allegheny College’s Center for Political Participation, Coplen is a cadet in the Army ROTC program at Edinboro University, in affiliation with Allegheny College. This requires Coplen to travel from Meadville to Edinboro daily to participate in physical training and attend military science classes and leadership labs. As part of this program, she has received several awards recognizing her academic achievement, high moral character and exceptional potential for military leadership.

Coplen’s extensive work experience includes serving as a cadet platoon leader for Cadet Troop Leadership Training at Fort Bliss in Texas, a resident adviser at Allegheny College and an intern for the U.S. Army Peace Keeping and Stability Operations Institute at the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania.

Seasonally, she is a horseback riding instructor and assistant farm manager at her family’s farm, Rendezvous Run Farm, in Carlisle, Pa. She also studied abroad in Argentina in spring 2013 and is a member of the Allegheny College Equestrian Team, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity (Mu Chapter) and the Phi Sigma Iota and Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Societies.

According to Jackson, 1,500 to 2,000 applications are submitted for the Rhodes Scholarship each year. Of those, 800 to 900 are endorsed by their college or university. Approximately 150 to 200 students then are invited to interview with the Rhodes Trust. Coplen will travel to Philadelphia for her interview, which will take place Nov. 22. She will learn if she has been selected as a Rhodes Scholar later that evening.

About the Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. Each year 32 young Americans are selected as Rhodes Scholars, through a decentralized process representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Applicants from more than 300 American colleges and universities have been selected. Rhodes Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead.