Alexa Roggenkamp Awarded College of Wooster's Carpenter Pre-Law Prize

Senior political science major to attend William & Mary Law School in the fall

WOOSTER, Ohio - Alexa Roggenkamp, a senior political science major and philosophy minor at The College of Wooster, has been selected as the David L. Carpenter Pre-Law Prize winner for 2010. The $5,000 award is presented annually to Wooster's top pre-law student. Selection is based on academic achievement, participation in Wooster's Pre-Law Advising Program, experience as a student leader, and a commitment to personal honesty and integrity.

"It is truly an honor to receive the Carpenter Prize," said Roggenkamp, a resident of Alliance, Ohio. "I'm grateful to the Figge and Carpenter Families for supporting this scholarship, and for the opportunities it represents for young legal professionals. I would also like to thank my advisor, Mark Weaver, and the rest of The College of Wooster faculty and staff for providing so many opportunities for growth. I sincerely hope that I can make Wooster, the Figges, and the Carpenters proud next year when I begin my studies at William & Mary Law School."

During her four years at Wooster, Roggenkamp distinguished herself academically with a 3.97 overall grade point average and a 4.0 GPA in her major areas of study. She was also named to the Dean's List following every semester and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious liberal arts honor society. In addition, she was a member of the highly successful Moot Court team and the national philosophy honor society Phi Sigma Tau, as well as a teaching apprentice for two classes, a peer mentor for the Department of Academic Advising, stage manager for Wooster's production of "Songs for a New World," and a writer and performer for "The Gallows" chemical-free sketch comedy housing program. Other notable achievements include founding and directing "Effie's Players: A Theatre Company" and serving as president of the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

"As her long list of academic achievements clearly demonstrates, Alexa is an outstanding student with strong analytic ability," said Weaver, professor of political science at Wooster. "But what has most impressed me about her is how resourceful and determined she is when facing any kind of adversity. She is a problem solver who knows how to keep moving forward when others see nothing but obstacles."

Established by the Figgie Family Foundation in 1999, the Carpenter Prize commemorates the life of the late David Lyle Carpenter, a 1965 Wooster alumnus who became a leading tax and corporate lawyer and a partner in the Cleveland law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold L.L.P. Prior to his death in 1999, Carpenter was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for excellence in the category of corporate law. He was also an active member of the Heights Christian Church and served on the board of the National Conference for Community and Justice. At Wooster, he won departmental honors in economics and lettered in track and field. He later attended the University of Michigan, where he earned both an M.B.A. and a J.D.