Jepson Scholars
Alec Greven, Jepson Scholar, 2021-22
Alec Greven, ’21, has been a free speech advocate ever since a University of Richmond first-year seminar sparked his interest in the subject. He drafted a resolution on student freedom of expression, co-wrote a guidebook for promoting free speech on college campuses, completed his Jepson School internship at the nonprofit Institute for Free Speech, and wrote his Jepson senior honors thesis on the moral foundations of freedom of expression. The 2021 recipient of the Mace Award, the University of Richmond’s highest student honor, will pursue a Master of Public Policy at Oxford.
Keeley Harris, Jepson Scholar, 2021-22
As a University of Richmond undergraduate, Keeley Harris, ’21, explored the connection between leadership, religion, ethics, social justice, and prejudice. A study-abroad semester in Cambodia exposed her to several Asian faith traditions. She incorporated racial and social justice themes into her Jepson School internship in youth ministry at a Presbyterian church. In her Jepson senior honors thesis, she researched the outsized impact of a 16th-century Christian sect on the founding principles of American democracy. This fall, she will enroll in a Master of Studies in Theology program at Oxford.
Kexin Li, Jepson Scholar, 2021-22
After meeting a former sex slave in 2016, Kexin Li, ’21, became an outspoken champion of victims of sexual violence. She has used performance art in her native China and at the University of Richmond to raise awareness of sexual assault, researched sexual violence as a weapon of war, and helped plan re-entry trainings for human-trafficking survivors. University of Richmond’s Westhampton College presented her with the 2021 Landphair Award in recognition of her work combatting sexual exploitation and assault. After completing a Master of Science in Contemporary Chinese Studies at Oxford, she hopes to start a nonprofit in China to support survivors of sexual violence.
Taylor Hoogsteden, Jepson Scholar, 2020-21
Taylor Hoogsteden, '20, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Richmond with a major in leadership studies and minors in both education and society and law and the liberal arts. In summer 2019, she served as a Governor’s Fellow in the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Education, where she researched student homelessness and food insecurity on college campuses across Virginia. Her work was so well received that she was offered and accepted an ongoing part-time internship with the Virginia Education Secretariat. In fall 2020, she will pursue a master’s degree in higher education at the University of Oxford.
Lina Tori Jan, Jepson Scholar, 2020-21
Afghan native Lina Tori Jan, ’20, championed the rights of immigrants, refugees, minorities, and women through her University of Richmond activism, community service, and Jepson School internship with an international women’s rights nonprofit. She received the Servant Leader Award from the Jepson Student Government Association as well as many other University of Richmond awards in recognition of her campus and community engagement. In fall 2020, she will pursue a public policy master’s degree at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
Sabrina Escobar Miranda, Jepson Scholar, 2019-20
Sabrina Escobar Miranda, ’19, earned a Master of Science in Latin American studies from the Latin American Centre, University of Oxford in July 2020. The inaugural Jepson Scholar graduated with distinction, a recognition granted to those earning the highest grades. She will attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in fall 2020 to pursue a master’s in journalism. Eventually, she plans to use her two master’s degrees to work as a foreign correspondent or journalist covering Latino communities and issues. Read her dissertation: Feminicide Coverage in El Salvador: An Analysis of Journalistic Practices Used by the Salvadoran Press to Report on Feminicide.