U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced the Department of Education's 2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars, comprising 10 undergraduate and graduate students whose outstanding academic and community service achievements reflect the legendary civil rights leader's contributions to the nation.

Launched by President Bush in 2002, the program enables King scholars to serve as summer interns at the Department of Education in Washington. They will work at the Department for eight weeks, beginning June 13.

"These accomplished students symbolize the dream of Martin Luther King," said Secretary Spellings. "Highly educated, highly motivated, they are striving to make a difference. We look forward to them joining us and value their expertise as we seek to promote excellence in American education for every child."

This year's scholars represent a variety of academic pursuits, from an urban-multicultural curriculum and teaching to French and francophone studies. Many are working on master's degrees or doctorates.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars Program is open to continuing juniors, seniors and graduate students who are enrolled on a full-time basis in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program at the time of their application and continue their studies in the academic semester following the summer internship. Students from any field of study are welcome to apply.

For this year's competition, applicants had to submit resumes, college transcripts, references, a 500-word essay and a one-page cover letter. The essay focused on the link between education policy and the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. evident in the following quotation: "And a man has not begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his own individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." (Martin Luther King Jr. "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life," in A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson and Peter Holloran, New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1998.)

In their cover letters, applicants addressed why they wished to be a King scholar and what they had accomplished or planned to accomplish that embraced King's philosophies.

Review panels comprising Department staff evaluated the applicants and submitted recommendations to the secretary. The list of this year's scholars follows.

2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars

Christopher R. Alejano
Homewood, Ill.
University of Washington

Cheryl-Lyn Bentley
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Harvard University

Chonika C. Coleman
Queens, N.Y.
University of Pennsylvania

Martin Copeland III
Largo, Md.
Bowie State University

Rachel Mazyck
Laurel, Md.
Harvard Graduate School of Education; will enter Oxford University in the fall

Amanda Kaye McMillan
Monroeville, Ala.
University of Alabama

Aja Michael
Converse, Ind.
Manchester College

Kelly Miller
Hammond, La.
Millsaps College; will enter Vanderbilt University in the fall

Keith J. Rocha
Tulare, Calif.
California State University, Fresno

Debbie Sonu
San Jose, Calif.
Teachers College, Columbia University

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