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Charlene Brown
Wells Scholars Program
chajbrow@indiana.edu
812-855-9493

George Vlahakis
IU Media Relations
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Last modified: Monday, August 15, 2005

Hamilton County's Homer and Sarin named Wells Scholars at Indiana University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUG. 15, 2005

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University President Adam W. Herbert announced that Carolyn Homer of Fishers, Ind., and Rohini Michelle Sarin of Carmel, Ind., have been selected as Wells Scholars at IU, two of 19 entering freshmen so honored. They will this fall join more than 300 others who have been named Wells Scholars.

The scholarship, named in honor of the late IU Chancellor Herman B Wells, ranks among the most competitive and prestigious awards offered by any American university. Since its inception in 1990, more than two dozen Wells Scholars have gone on to earn prestigious Rhodes, Truman, Marshall, Soros, Mitchell, Churchill, Fulbright and Goldwater scholarships for advanced study.

Many previous Wells Scholars today contribute to Indiana as residents who are attorneys, doctors, school teachers and business people and even an ordained minister. Others have gone on to clerk for Indiana and U.S. Supreme Court justices, are engaged in international relief and service efforts, and are scholars at other renowned educational institutions such as Harvard Business School and Cornell Law School. There are Wells Scholars currently serving in the Armed Forces and other positions in government.

"This program has a spectacular track record for developing future leaders who reflect the example and vision of former IU Chancellor Herman B Wells," Herbert said. "Its impact is reflected in the achievements of past Wells Scholars who have remained in and contributed to the Hoosier state, and by those who represent the university and our state with great distinction both nationally and throughout the world. Since its establishment 16 years ago, IU also has used the Wells Scholars program as a model for other scholarship programs that enable IU to attract to our campuses more of the best students in the state and nation."

To honor Wells, IU created the Wells Scholars Program, which began with fund-raising efforts in 1988 and the appointment of Professor Breon Mitchell as its founding director. In 1990, IU welcomed its first class of Wells Scholars and on June 7, 1992, Wells' 90th birthday, he was officially presented with the Wells Scholars Program as a gift from his many friends and admirers. After his death in the spring of 2000, this community of talented and dedicated young scholars remains as a permanent legacy of his educational vision.

Wells Scholars receive full tuition and course-related fees, as well as a living stipend for four years of undergraduate study on the Bloomington campus of IU. The program also offers special seminars, an optional year of study abroad, and support for a summer research project or internship. The Wells program emphasizes close interaction with faculty, academic and career advising, opportunities for community service, and contact with distinguished visitors.

Wells Scholars are selected for having demonstrated exceptional qualities of character and leadership and distinction both inside and outside of the classroom.

An AP Scholar with Honor, Homer graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School. She earned distinction as a member of her school's state champion Academic Super Bowl interdisciplinary and English teams. A member of Quiz Bowl, she helped her team place second in state her senior year and compete at the national level both her junior and senior years. She also competed in We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, and her team won a state championship and placed fifth in the nation her senior year.

Homer captained her school's Destination Imagination team, which twice competed at state. A three-year member of the yearbook staff, she served as copy editor and co-editor-in-chief. She was a member of the National Honor Society and various other school organizations. Also a member of her school's jazz band and orchestra, she earned medals for piano performance at district and state levels, and she earned a medal for violin performance at the district level.

Active in her community, Homer co-founded and served on the board of Link: Connecting Philanthropy to Our Youth, an organization that supports service projects in Hamilton County. She was an organist, pianist and choir member at her church. In addition, she served as a camp counselor. Homer plans to major in English and political science and to minor in religious studies.

Rohini Michelle Sarin

Print-Quality Photo

A National Merit Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction, Sarin graduated from Carmel High School as salutatorian. She placed in the top 10 on the National French Exam three times and was honored with two Rotary Scholarships. A national qualifier in domestic extemporaneous speaking and the recipient of a Medal of Special Distinction from the National Forensic League, she was a four-year member and two-year board leader of her school's speech team.

Active in Academic Super Bowl competition, she captained her school's English team for three years and the interdisciplinary team for one year. She was a three-year staff member of her school's newspaper, which she served as news editor her junior year and Web editor her senior year. She served as a Carmel Greyhound Kick-Off mentor, a board member of Carmel's intramural program, a member of its house of representatives, and a Hoosier Girls State senator. A member of Key Club, she volunteered with Alzheimer patients at Sunrise of Carmel, and she volunteered as a tutor with the National Honor Society.

Sarin conducted biological research for two summers at the William and Mary Chancellor Academy, and she has been selected to participate in the IU Science and Technology Research Scholars Program. She plans to continue pursuing her interest in medical research as a biology major.