Student named first Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar

An art and design major was selected as Grand Valley's first Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

Jessica Pleyel, from Dorr, is sponsored by the Grandville Rotary Club and will spend the next academic year studying at the University of Ghana, in Accra, and performing service work with the Rotary Club International chapter there.

Recipients of the award serve as goodwill ambassadors; the scholarship is worth about $27,000.

“Being chosen as the recipient of this award is an honor and blessing to me,” Pleyel said. “I am thrilled to begin my journey abroad to not only take master’s courses in visual arts and sociology, but also to potentially help women and children through art therapy.”

Pleyel serves as a program intern for Grand Valley’s Women’s Center, and belongs to the Asian Student Union. Active in the community, she volunteers for John Ball Zoo Society, Heartside Gallery and West Michigan Refugee Education and Cultural Center.

Students interested in applying for a 2013-2014 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar should contact Amanda Cuevas, director of the Frederik Meijer Honors College Office of Fellowships, at [email protected] or x13219. Applications will be taken starting in December.