Mercer University named Colleen "Augusta" Hosmer of Rome one of nine Stamps Leadership Scholars as part of the University's participation in the prestigious Stamps Scholars Program. In addition to Hosmer, the recipients included Jeffrey "Brady" Bradshaw of Canton, Joseph Farrell of Marietta, Katelyn Herman of Landrum, S.C., Anna Johnson of Westborough, Mass., Mary Lathem of Covington, Kaydren Orcutt of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Aaron Scherf of Acworth and Lindsey Theodore of Conyers. The program is funded by the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation Inc.

"Students selected to be a part of the Stamps program are of excellent character and demonstrate the desire to combine research and service learning and to use their gifts and talents to solve many of the world's problems," said Dr. Penny Elkins, senior vice president for enrollment management. "Mercer's mission is to produce graduates who are well-rounded individuals and who will utilize their Mercer education to make substantial and lasting change within their fields of study. We are excited to see what the future holds for these exceptional students."

The nine recipients were chosen from over 300 applicants based on their leadership, scholarship, service and innovation. Hosmer graduated from Armuchee High School where she was involved in equestrian and served as an equestrian instructor at the Georgia Camp for the Blind. She also participated in an academic decathlon where she received the highest overall score in the honors division at the district level. She plans to major in biochemistry and molecular biology at Mercer.

The scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room, board and books. In addition, Stamps Leadership Scholars will each receive an iPad and $4,000 enrichment stipend to support activities such as study abroad, undergraduate research, unpaid internships and conference fees.

With the addition of the second class of Stamps Scholars, 14 scholars will be on Mercer's campus next fall. Mercer is one of only 35 universities in the country to participate in the program alongside institutions such as Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California - Los Angeles, University of Notre Dame, Wake Forest University and University of Michigan.

E. Roe Stamps IV, who was raised in Macon and is a graduate of Stratford Academy, and his wife, Penny, established the foundation in part to help exceptional students realize their dream of achieving a college education. Among the alumni of the Stamps Scholars Program are a Rhodes Scholar; graduate students at Emory, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Kansas, the Manhattan School of Music, Michigan, MIT, Oxford, UC-Berkeley and Vanderbilt; and employees at several top consulting firms, BP, Deutsche Bank, GE, Teach For America and the Department of Homeland Security.

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