Four University of Richmond Jepson School of Leadership Studies Graduates Awarded Scholarships to Study at Oxford

This article was updated in August 2024. 

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Four recent graduates from the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies have been awarded full scholarships to pursue master’s programs at the University of Oxford. 

Philanthropists Robert S. Jepson Jr. and Alice Andrews Jepson created the Jepson Scholars Foundation in 2019 to provide full scholarships for graduating Jepson School seniors to attend a one-year master’s program of their choosing at the University of Oxford.  

“Future leaders will gain firsthand experience at a renowned global institution and live and work in an international environment,” said Robert S. Jepson Jr. “With the benefit of a world-class undergraduate and graduate education, Jepson Scholars will be prepared to lead both at home and abroad.”

This year’s Jepson Scholars are:

Delaney Demaret, a leadership studies and global studies major from Elk Grove Village, Illinois. While at UR she was a member of the University of Richmond’s Amazon Borderlands Spatial Analysis Team and completed her Jepson School internship in Peru with the nonprofit Conservación Amazónica. At Oxford, she will pursue a Master of Science in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance.

Anum Merchant, a leadership studies and political science major from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. At UR, she was named a Newman Civic Fellow for her work with immigrant communities, and she wrote her senior thesis on host countries’ treatment of refugees and immigrants. She will pursue a Master of Science in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies at Oxford.

Lauren Oligino, a leadership studies and political science major from Westfield, N.J. As an undergraduate, she interned with a Virginia state senator, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, and the Office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. She also explored political, social, and economic thought as a McDowell Institute Student Fellow and served as Westhampton College president.  She will pursue a Master of Public Policy at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.

Trevin Stevens, a leadership studies and political science major from Johnson City, Tennessee. At UR, he received a Virginia Governor’s Fellowship to intern at the Office of the Secretary for the Commonwealth, and he researched and wrote policy briefs about the U.S. opioid epidemic for his senior honors thesis. He will pursue a Master of Public Policy at Oxford’s renowned Blavatnik School of Government.

Since the program’s inception, 19 students have received Jepson Scholarships.