Neil Damron, a political science and economics major in the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Letters & Science, was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards in higher education.
Though he was not ultimately offered a scholarship, Damron has already made an impact on the UW-Madison community.
The senior from Syracuse, N.Y., plans to continue his study of policy in order to make public policy himself, using his position to help facilitate social change, mitigate poverty and increase opportunities for upward economic mobility in the United States.
He has served as president of the Wisconsin Union and director of the Distinguished Lecture Series, and spearheaded such projects as the Memorial Union Reinvestment Project and the Wisconsin Experience Bus Trip. Damron is also a poverty analysis intern for the Institute for Research on Poverty through the Morgridge Center for Public Service.