Olivia Kantwell Wins 2012 Johnson Opportunity Grant at Washington and Lee University

LEXINGTON, VA (05/21/2012)(readMedia)-- Olivia Kantwell, from Lorton, Va., a junior at Washington and Lee University, has been selected for the spring/summer 2012 Johnson Opportunity Grant. The Johnson Program on Leadership and Integrity awards 25 to 30 grants each year.

Kantwell will intern at the Office of Servicemember Affairs (OSA) in Washington, D.C., this summer as well as at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC). OSA works with the Consumer Finalce Protection Bureau and is beginning a peogram to help wounded service members and their families with financial hardships such as mortgage foreclosure, consumer lending abuse and fraud.

Kantwell's internship will provide her with experience in policy development, implementation techniques and oversight. Her work at WRAMC will give her experience in the tactical and community side of the larger effort.

An economics major with a minor in poverty and human capability studies, Kantwell is a Bonner Scholar and a member of the Shepherd Alliance.

The grants cover living, travel and other costs associated with the students' proposed activities, which are designed to help them with their future careers and fields of study. The grants vary in amount from $1,000 to $4,500 and are funded as part of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity.