Three WFU students named Kemper Scholars

Three Wake Forest University students, Kaya Borlase, Alexis Nickl and Doug Maier, all rising sophomores, have been selected from a group of national finalists for the Kemper Scholars Program. The program prepares students for professional leadership positions through experiential workplace learning that applies what they learn in their academic programs.

From Mooresville, N.C., Borlase has worked as a tutor for the Best Choice Center in Winston-Salem. Her academic interests are in mathematics, statistics and economics.

Maier, who is from Parker, Colo., is interested in finance, international business and economics. He has been a manager for the Wake Forest Women’s Basketball team.

Nickl, whose academic interests are in business, psychology and philosophy, is from Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. She is a member of the track team and a peer educator for the University’s Thrive program.

Wake Forest is one of nine partner institutions with Kemper to offer this program for students in their first year of college. Kemper Scholars represent a select group of undergraduates from exemplary liberal arts colleges and universities nationwide.

The Kemper Scholars Program mission is to shape well-rounded business leaders, with a special focus on the insurance industry. By identifying high-potential undergraduate students and supporting them with a comprehensive program of scholarship, mentorship and internships, the Kemper Scholars Program helps students develop both practical and professional skills to become the next generation of effective business leaders.

Recent research reports that employers rank real world experience in internships and work while in college as a primary criterion in hiring recent graduates. The Kemper Scholars Program helps students apply their academic education to the world of professional careers, making connections between the classroom and the workplace.

Kemper Scholars receive scholarships during their sophomore, junior and senior years of college. They also intern at both non-profits and businesses during the summer.

Every summer, all current Kemper Scholars attend the Kemper Career Institute in Chicago, where they discuss their summer work and experience, meet with former Kemper Scholars, and consider topics in management, leadership and business.