Elise Boos, a biology major and history minor, spent nine months of independent study traveling to countries in Central America, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia as a Presidential Scholar in 2006-07. For a portion of this trip, CESLA hosted Ms. Boos in Mtunzini, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, showing her the livivng conditions in the rural communities.

The Presidential International Scholar is chosen personally each year by Wofford College's president as “the singular student best fitted to benefit humankind.” An anonymous donor funds the scholarship. The scholar spends his or her senior year visiting developing countries around the world and conducting research on an independent study project, returning for a fifth year to complete regular coursework and sharing what was learned during the travels.

Wofford's President, Benjamin B. Dunlap, reported that “Elise Boos has been a dynamo of campus leadership, serving a rare term as student body president in her junior year while maintaining a distinguished academic record and playing a crucial part in virtually every innovation in campus life,”

Ms. Boos, a class of 2007 Biology major, is a dean’s list student and member of the Blue Key National Honor Society and the Living-Learning Community for the Arts. She was president of Wofford’s student body for the 2005-06 academic year. This summer, she will intern with Campus Progress in Washington, D.C.

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A VIDEO OF ELISE WEAVING REEDS
The ladies of KwaZulu-Natal have woven split reeds and the stems of Ilalah grass for centuries. The mat's use ranges from sitting and sleeping on to "pocket-books."

Presidential Scholar - ELISE BOOS