Four Kenyon students have been awarded Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarships that support Ohioans who are interested in mathematics and related fields.
This year’s winners include a member of each class and come from all corners of the state. They are first-year Sarah Keller of Brunswick; sophomore Cynthia Stevens of Columbus; junior Jonathan Lee of Cincinnati; and senior Kyle Kelley of Perrysburg.
Established in 2014 by the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, Kenyon’s Knowlton Memorial Scholarship Fund provides financial aid to students for all four years at Kenyon.
Keller, who attends Kenyon with her sister Rebecca — a member of the Class of 2026 — enjoys problem solving and is considering majoring in physics or math. A musician, she plays clarinet in the Knox County Symphony and sings with the Take Five jazz a cappella group.
Keller said having a scholarship like this is an important source of financial and mental support. “What I want to pursue is challenging, and it’s encouraging to know that I have foundations of people who support me in my endeavors,” she said.
Stevens plans on majoring in mathematics and minoring in philosophy, and her ultimate goal is to become a high school math teacher. An Eagle Scout, she remains active in Scouts BSA and serves as an adult troop leader in her hometown of Columbus. She also is part of the Kenyon Community Choir.
“I love math because of how logical it is and how many different areas of math there are,” she said.
Lee is a math and statistics major with a music minor who is interested in the fields of data science and data analytics. He plays the saxophone and serves as the librarian for the Kenyon Symphonic Wind Ensemble while also acting as director of the Kenyon Pep Band.
A student analyst in the Office of Institutional Research, Lee said he is grateful for the scholarship because it has helped him confirm his interest in pursuing work in the fields of math and statistics after graduation. “My Kenyon courses and professors have been especially helpful in affirming my plans, and I am grateful for the Knowlton Scholarship’s role in that,” he said.
Kelley, a member of the Kenyon STEM Scholars Program, is a mathematics and music double major. Part of the K-STEM peer mentoring program and a tutor at the Math and Science Skills Center, he hopes to attend graduate school in mathematics and one day become a professor. He plays in the College’s percussion and jazz ensembles and creates the crossword every week in the student newspaper, the Kenyon Collegian.
The senior said he finds math inspiring and looks forward to continuing his exploration of it. “Math is so much more than taking derivatives and solving equations like a machine,” he said. “It’s finding patterns in unexpected places and searching for reasons to expect them. It’s problem solving with friends not because the solution will be useful, but simply to answer an unanswered question.”
The Knowlton Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $740,000 to Kenyon. These funds are invested in the College’s endowment, with income restricted for Knowlton Memorial Scholarships.
Austin E. “Dutch” Knowlton was chair and owner of the Knowlton Construction Company, which completed more than 600 significant construction projects throughout Ohio and the Midwest, including schools, hospitals, libraries and post offices. As an Ohio businessman and philanthropist, Knowlton worked to help Ohioans earn degrees from Ohio colleges and universities.