The Hamel Scholars & Hamel Scholarships Program was founded in 2007. It provides merit scholarships and special recognition to exceptional students from New Hampshire who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership and community involvement.
Funded through gifts from Dana Hamel, a long-time UNH supporter, the programs seek to help these students develop their full potential to become active, engaged leaders in communities throughout the state after graduating from UNH.
About Hamel Scholars
Hamel scholars are high-achieving students from throughout the state of New Hampshire who have either received a Hamel Scholarship as part of their offer of admission to UNH (offers are made once Early Action acceptances are completed) or who have been invited to join the program later in their UNH career, usually after sophomore year. They meet the academic requirements for and are members of the University Honors Program. Hamel Scholars are typically busy students who are highly engaged in and take leadership roles in both academic and student life at UNH.
Hamel Scholars have access to the best of UNH, including distinctive honors classes offered by UNH’s top faculty members. They enjoy the camaraderie and the sociable challenge of belonging to a cohort of high-achieving and civic-minded students. They also forge connections across disciplines since Hamel Scholars pursue degrees in every academic college at UNH. Hamel Scholars participate in a service project each semester and in regular workshops and seminars that develop their leadership skills and potential. When they graduate, Hamel Scholars join a robust alumni network within the Wildcat alumni family.
Hamel Scholar Profiles
The statements below, excerpted from recent student letters to Dana Hamel from current students and recent graduates, will introduce you to the kinds of experiences and varied interests that Hamel Scholars have.