Last modified: Tuesday, August 8, 2006
Coral Gables' Oates named Wells Scholar at IU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 10, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Daniel Oates from Coral Gables, Fla., has been selected as a Wells Scholar at Indiana University, one of 19 entering freshmen so honored. He will this fall join more than 320 others who have been named Wells Scholars since 1990.
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, 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.
An AP Scholar, Oates is the first Wells Scholar from Coral Gables High School, where he graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma and was named most outstanding sophomore, junior and senior. He was distinguished as his school's nominee for a Silver Knight Award, the Miami-based academic and community service recognition program, in the category of new media.
As chairman of the Youth Ethics Initiative steering committee, Oates coordinated three ethics conferences for nearly 1,000 high school students in South Florida. He participated in Best Buddies, which he served as treasurer; Rotary Interact Club, which he served as a Rotary liaison officer; Harvard University Model Congress and Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership. A long-time boy scout, he served as senior patrol leader and was named an Eagle Scout. He was vice president of the math club and of his school's chapter of the math honor society, Mu Alpha Theta.
He also was a member of National Honor Society, International Baccalaureate Honor Society and Science Honor Society. An active member of his church, he was co-editor of the youth group newsletter and served as a youth representative to the church and the advisory council of Lutheran Services Florida. He also served as an HIV/AIDS peer educator. He plans to major in applied physics.
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.
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.
