INDEPENDENCE SENIOR WINS PHI KAPPA PHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP

The University of Kansas Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society has selected Independence senior Alexis A. Bannwarth, to receive the 2006 Blackiston Memorial Graduate Fellowship.

Bannwarth was one of 40 Phi Kappa Phi members nationally receiving the Award of Excellence. The award provides $2,000 for graduate study and is offered to members of the national honor society who are nominated by their chapters.

Bannwarth, an honors student graduating with degrees in journalism and political science on May 21, 2006, plans to attend the KU School of Law this fall. She is the daughter of David and Marlene Bannwarth of Independence. She graduated from Independence High School.

Earlier this year, KU’s Phi Kappa Phi chapter selected Bannwarth to receive the $1,000 Blackiston Memorial Graduate Fellowship, making her eligible to compete for a national award.

The Award of Excellence and the Blackiston fellowship are the latest achievements for Bannwarth, who has participated widely in campus activities and won numerous awards and honors at KU.

She is president of Watkins Scholarship Hall and is active in the All Scholarship Hall Council. She is a peer educator for the Pre-Law Thematic Learning Community. During the 2004-05 academic year she served on Student Senate and has worked with Student Senate’s JayWalk service, which provides escorts for students walking on campus after dark. She has completed KU’s LeaderShape program, a weeklong student retreat, and the Global Awareness Program certifying international study.

During the 2006 Kansas legislative session, Bannwarth served as an intern with State Sen. Derek Schmidt of Independence. She also participated in KU’s Alternative Winter Break program and volunteered with Upward Bound at Independence Community College.

A Watkins-Berger scholar at KU, Bannwarth has received additional honors and scholarships including the Golden Key Undergraduate Scholarship, the Elizabeth Miller Watkins Memorial Scholarship, the St. Lawrence Young Catholic Scholar and Ave Maria Scholarship. In 2005, she was honored with the Hilltopper Award from the Jayhawker Yearbook. In addition to Phi Kappa Phi, Bannwarth is a member of Mortar Board, Owl Junior honor society, Lambda Sigma sophomore honor society, Golden Key and Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society.