Casey Near, a junior at Scripps College, from San Jose, California, was recently named a 2008 Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Finalist. She is one of 50 students selected by application to participate in the competitive program sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This year, applicants came from 166 colleges and universities across the United States.
As a finalist, Near will take part in a one — week program in New York City, where she will have the opportunity to visit a variety of important museums and historical archives and meet renowned historians in and out of academia. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, founded in 1944, seeks to advance the study and love of American history by serving students, teachers, scholars and the general public.
Near, a transfer student from University of Pennsylvania, is an American studies major at Scripps and is active in many groups on campus including Challah for Hunger (which raises funds for victims of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur), the Scripps Tour Guide program and will coordinate the Scripps Hostess Program starting this fall.