Note to Editors: Janelle Knox is currently working in Washington, D.C., but is reachable at the cell phone number listed above. She will not be returning to Colorado before leaving for England in September. A photo of Knox is available by contacting Mike Liguori at CU News Services, (303) 492-3117.
A $300,000 graduate scholarship has been awarded to Janelle Knox, a Cortez, Colo., native who graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder last year with three majors and a black belt in kung fu.
Knox was awarded a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship, one of the largest and most competitive scholarships offered in the United States. Colleges and universities in all 50 states nominated 1,290 candidates for the 2005 competition but only 76 won awards.
Knox will receive $50,000 per year for up to six years to cover the cost of master's and doctoral degree programs in nature, society and environmental policy at Oxford University in Great Britain.
While at CU-Boulder, Knox majored in ecology and evolutionary biology, international affairs and Japanese. She also earned a black belt in traditional Shao-lin kung fu and tai chi from the Chinese Shao-Lin Center in Boulder.
She graduated with distinction from CU-Boulder in December 2004 and was named the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Graduate. Knox completed an honors thesis in biology advised by Professor Alexander Cruz, with whom she co-authored a study on the cuckoo catfish that was published last year in the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. Cruz called Knox "the best young scholar I have encountered" in 30 years of teaching.
Knox compiled a number of honors in her undergraduate career, including membership in CU-Boulder's Undergraduate Academy and Norlin Scholars Program. A Boettcher Scholar and President's Leadership Class Scholar, she also won three different awards for special study in 2003: a Freeman-Asia Scholarship for study in Japan, a National Security Education Program scholarship for study in Japan and a Public Policy and International Affairs fellowship for a summer institute at Princeton University.
Knox hopes to combine her scientific and political expertise in an influential role at an organization such as the United Nations.
"I plan to synthesize my knowledge of both the natural and social sciences, and to serve as a liaison between academic fields and cultures to address the interconnected socio-political and economic environmental challenges of the 21st century," she said.
"I want to help change the way the United States handles environmental issues, and to shift its developmental and environment policies so that it can lead the international community in safeguarding a healthy and sustainable future."
Knox said CU-Boulder was a catalyst for her success, mentioning the faculty and the number and breadth of programs and opportunities as the university's strengths.
"I took advantage of a number of these opportunities, which enhanced the experience and the quality of the education I received at CU," she said.
CU-Boulder special scholarships adviser Lori Goodman said Knox's success came from hard work, focus and a dedication to her chosen fields of study. "I have had the privilege of working closely with Janelle over the past four years, and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation could not have picked a more deserving winner," Goodman said. "She is simply outstanding."
Founded in 2000, the private, independent Jack Kent Cooke Foundation aims to help young people of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education.
Cooke made a fortune in broadcasting and was owner of the Chrysler Building in New York, as well as the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and NFL's Washington Redskins. An avid scholar, Cooke left most of his fortune to establish the foundation when he died in 1997.
"What the Rhodes Scholarship is to overseas study, the Jack Kent Cooke awards are rapidly becoming to the best students in America who have financial need," said Georgetown University Law Center Professor Laurie Kohn, who helped review 2005 applications.
For more information on the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation visit .