Two Neumann students are among just 17 in the country who received scholarships and fellowships from the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Catholic Scholastic Honor Society.

Junior Nadirah Roberts, a criminal justice major, received a $1,200 scholarship that will be applied to her Neumann tuition next year. A $1,200 fellowship was awarded to senior Rachel Meehan, an English major. Those funds will be applied to tuition costs for her first year of graduate study.

Meehan, 22, plans to apply to the master’s degree program in library sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and achieve certification to work as a school librarian.

Roberts, 20, has her sights set on a master's degree in forensic psychology or criminal justice with the goal of serving a marginalized population, such as the formerly incarcerated. “I would like to assist them with the re-entry process by providing them with rehabilitative services (like therapy or counseling), education, trade skills, and more,” she says. 

The honor society awarded a total of ten scholarships and seven fellowships in 2024.

According to a news release issued by Delta Epsilon Sigma, the students were “selected for their outstanding commitment to scholarship, leadership, and service.” In addition to the monetary awards, the names of both students will appear on the Delta Epsilon Sigma official website and in the spring 2024 issue of Delta Epsilon Sigma Journal, the official organ of the society.

Dr. Claudia Kovach, moderator of Neumann’s Delta Pi Chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma, reports that no Neumann student has previously won a Delta Epsilon Sigma fellowship. Students have won scholarships from the society in the past, one in 2016 and one in 2019.

The awards are made available on a competitive basis to students who have been initiated into the society and who have also been nominated by their chapters for these awards.

Established in 1939 at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, Delta Epsilon Sigma has 120 chapters and inducts students, faculty, and alumni of colleges and universities with a Catholic tradition. Supporting Catholic identity, the society recognizes the achievement of colleagues, fosters scholarly activities, and helps to build a sense of intellectual community among its members.

Dr. Kovach, professor of English and French, has served as executive director of the national organization since 2014.