Calvin Junior Wins Three Awards

April 25, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: A Calvin junior from Clarkston has won a trio of prestigious
awards.

Full story see http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2006-07/knapper-awards.htm

A Calvin College political science and communications major recently won a
trio of awards for his work as an intern in the Michigan Legislature.

Nate Knapper, a 21-year-old junior who hails from Clarkston, Michigan, was
honored with the Congressman Paul Henry Integrity Award, the Daniel Rosenthal
Legislative Intern Award and the Frank M. Fitzgerald Public Service Award for
helping to create “Curriculum Beyond The Classroom,” an innovative program
for fellow interns.

“I’ve been in the legislature for more than 20 years, and Nate is one of
the finest individuals to ever intern here,” says Kendall Wingrove, the Media
Services Manager for the Michigan Senate Majority Communications Office and the
man who helped Knapper launch the program. “In both the Michigan Senate and
House, his quiet but effective leadership style changed lives for the
better.”

Curriculum Beyond The Classroom hosted lunches and other events that brought
the interns together with important policy makers.

To accept the Congressman Paul Henry Integrity Award, bestowed by the Founding
Values Initiative at its second annual luncheon on April 23 at the Peninsular
Club, Knapper had to travel from Washington D.C., where he was enrolled in,
appropriately enough, Calvin’s Paul B. Henry Semester.

“It was a surprise and an honor at the same time,” says Knapper, who won
the student version of the award, which came with a $500 scholarship, an
engraved pen and a certificate.

Knapper was also in Washington on April 17 when he received the Daniel
Rosenthal Legislative Intern Award, which is granted every year to an
outstanding intern. Knapper accepted the award, which this year celebrated its
30th anniversary, via teleconference and in the company of Ehlers.

Still to come is Knapper’s acceptance speech for the Frank M. Fitzgerald
Public Service Award.

Knapper is understated in his appreciation for the many laurels that came from
his stint in government.

“You work hard, and sometimes you see the benefits, and sometimes it’s not
as clear to you. But this time it certainly has been clear,” he says, adding,
“and the Lord has blessed.”

Knapper is considering law school following his 2008 graduation.

“I have sort of a general interest in entering the intelligence community:
FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, something like that,” he says.

Wingrove believes the student’s skills fit him for any number of careers.

“He embodies the best of what Calvin has to offer.”

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Received on Wed Apr 25 16:05:39 2007