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The Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at the University of Colorado Boulder has selected its inaugural Wehman Scholars. Each year, two outstanding undergraduate students who are working in the areas of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics will be awarded a $1500 renewable scholarship to support their respective college educations.

John J. Wehman was a 1952 graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder in Sociology and received his MS in Public Administration from the University of Colorado in 1968. He lived in Colorado all his life and served in the Air Force during World War II. The scholarship program is made possible through a generous donation by the John J. Wehman Trust.

Below are the two students who received scholarships in spring 2021. 

Inés Benavides

Originally from Ecuador in South America, Inés intends to graduate in May 2022 with a major in Engineering Plus with a specialization in Environmental Engineering.  She has been a trainer with the “Orphan in my City” program, providing childcare and craft activities, and has been recognized for her volunteer efforts to enroll international students in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. She is interested in promoting access to STEM programs, “especially within low-represented groups such as women and minorities,” and in helping other women be successful at work. She also wants to demonstrate to her three children that “it always pays off” to earn a degree in an area that allows them to “work with vocation and passion.” 

After graduation from CU, Inés plans to use her engineering degree “to support the advancement and the adoption of sustainability best practices and renewable energy resources within our communities and beyond.” She hopes to work at a research institution and “focus on assisting disenfranchised communities achieve and improve better alternatives to energy access and create self-sustainable practices.”

Dylan Yachyshen 

Dylan, who intends to graduate from CU Boulder this May, is majoring in international affairs and economics, and minoring in French.  Dylan is interested in conflict and development in North and West Africa, has lived in Morocco, and is learning Arabic.  While at CU, he was an editor for the Colorado Political Science Review, is an active member of the Benson Center’s Undergraduate Fellows program and participated in the Boulder club baseball team and the French Bavaradages Club. Internships include the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Department of Defense, and the Think Tank and Civil Society Program. Each year he serves as a Boulder Better Day of Service volunteer team leader.

After graduating from CU, Dylan wants to spend time in France and Africa “perfecting my French while working for NGOs or policy organizations.” After one or two years of international work, he intends to attend graduate school in international affairs and law, followed by a career in U.S foreign policy. He hopes to use his “Boulder knowledge to help better the world, advance U.S interests abroad and, one day, inspire Mr. Wehman’s legacy in future Boulder students.”

For more information on Benson Center scholarships, the Undergraduate Fellows program and other student resources, please see the Benson Center website.