Speech for Jenna Mersereau: Outstanding Graduate from the Political Science Department

As Department Chair of Political Science, I have the distinct privilege of presenting Ms. Jenna Mersereau as our Outstanding Graduate for the 2014-2015 academic year. Faculty describe her as a tireless worker both in and out of the classroom. She is the kind of person we all want very much as a student. I would like to go on to talk about the many reasons why we selected her as our outstanding graduate this year.

First and foremost, Jenna is an outstanding student. She is a Smittcamp Honors College student and a President’s Scholar. She has a achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the major and across her university career. Jenna also won the Top Dog Scholar award. While all of these are significant feats, she also does something all instructors cherish: consistently contributes in the classroom. All of her hard work and preparation is linked with a willingness to participate and share her ideas with other students.

Another thing setting Jenna apart is her willingness to get involved on campus. She is currently the vice president of the political science association. In addition to these activities, she has also assisted Dr. Tom Holyoke in his research on interest groups and state government spending. According to Dr. Holyoke, Jenna went above and beyond in her efforts to produce a quality data set that will be of great use in his research. Jenna has also been a vital part of the University’s mock trial team; a team which reached national competition. She has been instrumental in the creation of the College of Social Science’s honors program. This is an important legacy Jenna will leave other College Social Science scholars long after she is gone.

Given all of these activities, one would think Jenna does not have time for anything else. On the contrary, she is very involved in rendering service to the larger community. Jenna has worked on the Central California War Veterans Oral History Project as an interviewer and transcriber. In addition to this, Jenna has served a variety of different community service organizations including the following: The Gathering Inn, The Bulldog Pantry, and Valley Teen Ranch.

Jenna has a strong interest in the law. This has been demonstrated in various ways. One of these was her choice of academic work: political science major with a Certificate in Legal Studies and a minor in Criminology. Another was to choose to apprentice for an attorney who provides services for the disadvantaged members of the community. For her senior thesis Jenna has chosen to apply California’s Public Trust Doctrine to the issue of potential restoration of the lost Tulare Lake.

Her future is very bright indeed. Jenna has applied to many of the top law schools in the nation. These include: Stanford, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and USC. She has been admitted to all of these fine institutions. She has also received full-ride scholarships to several of them and is waiting to hear back from the rest. Whatever choice she makes, Jenna will excel as a law student and lawyer. The school she chooses to go to will benefit from her presence, as well as the campus and community of which she is a part.

Lastly and most importantly, Jenna is not only a scholar, but someone who cares deeply about the world around her. It is this compassion combined with intellect which will make Jenna someone who can make a real difference for good in the world.