Erin Krause, a sophomore with a double major in legal studies and professional writing, was awarded the James A. Finnegan Fellowship at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence Friday, March 21, 2014. Finnegan Fellows are selected based on academic achievement and a research essay on a policy topic. Gerald Lawrence Jr., president of The James A. Finnegan Fellowship Foundation, presented Krause with the award.
The Finnegan Foundation offers Krause a paid 10-week summer internship in Harrisburg. She may choose from several opportunities “with upper level state departments, for example the Department of Transportation or the Department of Revenue,” said Krause. “I’m excited that I got it and I’m interested to see if I’m going to enjoy it or not.”
Erin is an excellent writer and has a great understanding of public policy.”
Elizabethtown College has a rich history in Finnegan Fellows starting in 1982, producing more Fellows than any other institution. Since then, there have been an upward of two dozen Elizabethtown students and alumni who have earned this award. Dr. Kyle C. Kopko, assistant professor of political science, director of the pre-Law Program and director of the legal studies major, earned this award in 2004.
“Erin is an excellent writer and has a great understanding of public policy,” said Kopko of this year’s awardee. She did a “thorough job of researching and addressing these issues,” he said of Krause’s essay on the legality of same sex marriage.
Finnegan Fellows are honored with a luncheon at the Governor’s Residence and a minimum cash prize of $1,000. Krause plans to save the stipend to pay for books next semester.
There was a room set up as a garden for the awards ceremony. “It was exciting, but also made me really nervous,” said Krause, who was separated from her parents at the ceremony and sitting next to a member from the Department of Transportation. According to Krause, the governor’s residence is “beautiful and huge.” Guests were given a tour of the main floor. “It looked like a museum,” she said.
Krause plans to attend law school after graduating from Elizabethtown. “I’m not sure what I would want to study, but I hope [the fellowship] leads me into something I want to pursue.”