Virginia Beach resident John Dronzek receives highest academic honor from Connecticut College

Related Media

John Dronzek

NEW LONDON, CT (03/19/2014)(readMedia)-- John Dronzek, a senior at Connecticut College, has been named a Winthrop Scholar, the highest academic honor bestowed by the college. Winthrop Scholars are members of the senior class who demonstrate exceptional scholarship and promise.

Dronzek, a 2010 graduate of Virginia Beach Friends School, is the son of Cheryl Dronzek of Virginia Beach and Rainer Dronzek of Naperville, IL. At Connecticut College, Dronzek is a biochemistry and molecular biology major.

Dronzek was one of 13 Winthrop Scholars recognized at a ceremony Feb. 18. All have also been chosen for membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society of undergraduate higher education, and will be initiated in May.

President Katherine Bergeron lauded the students for their accomplishments and called upon them to actively apply their talents and skills to today's global issues.

"One of the greatest pleasures of being a president is to be able to acknowledge the talent and achievement of our students," Bergeron said. "We need your intellectual acuity and your intellectual ingenuity to address the most pressing issues of our time."

Connecticut College instituted the practice of honoring Winthrop Scholars in May 1928. The award is named for John Winthrop the Younger (1606-1676), who is credited with founding the city of New London and served as governor of Connecticut. He was a remarkable scholar, one of the most learned and versatile men in New England.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college's 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.