Five Illinois Wesleyan University students have been granted fellowships as part of the 2026 Eckley Summer Scholars and Artists Endowment.
Guided by a faculty sponsor, each Eckley scholar is granted a stipend to dedicate their summer to an academic research or artistic project. Established by the late IWU President Emeritus Robert Eckley and his wife Nell, the program allows exceptional students to expand their portfolios and contribute to the knowledge and creativity generated on campus.
Students selected for the fellowship, their projects and their faculty sponsors are:
Michael Ashton ‘27
Majors: Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies
Project Title: “Men In Nursing & Emotions in a Female-Dominant Field”
Faculty Sponsor: Associate Professor of Sociology Courtney Irby
Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Isabella Beoletto ‘27
Major: Environmental Studies
Minor: Journalism & Communication
Project Title: “Do Invasive Plants in Riparian Buffers Affect Uptake of Pesticides from Agricultural Runoff?”
Faculty Sponsor: Assistant Professor of Biology Clark Dennis
Hometown: Farmington, Illinois
Maggie Grugan ‘27
Major: Art
Project Title: “Reimagining the Victorian Narrative: Recognizing Victims of British Colonization by Reframing Negative Rhetoric in H. Rider Haggard’s ‘She’”
Faculty Sponsor: Adjunct Instructor of Art Dustin Springer
Hometown: Washington, Illinois
Lukas Rico ‘27
Major: Biology
Project Title: “Development of a Polyacrylamide-Based Hydrogel System for Controlled Delivery of BPEI to Chronic Wounds”
Faculty Sponsor: Visiting Associate Professor of Chemistry Charles Rice
Hometown: Plainfield, Illinois
Faith Hartrich-Jackson ‘27
Major: Business
Minor: English (Writing)
Project Title: “The Land That Grows Us: Cultivation, Control, and the Fate of Paradise in Renaissance Literature”
Faculty Sponsor: Isaac Funk Endowed Professor of English Joanne Diaz
Hometown: Bloomington, Illinois