CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Nearly five dozen University of Virginia and Harvard University students have been selected for the new 22nd Century Scholars scholarship program, which is launching next week.

The UVA Center for Politics partnered with the Miller Center, the Weldon Cooper Center/Sorensen Institute, and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy to create the new program.
 
According to a release, the Center for Politics also announced plans for a $3 million endowment, with gifts from Eaddo and Peter Kiernan and Teresa Bryce Bazemore and Lenny Bazemore.
 
This will create a continuing endowment for this and other internship programs and serve as a funding source to help more students in the future.
 
The 56 students, who are rising second-, third- and fourth-years, were selected from 300 applicants who lost related summer jobs and internships in the public sector due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
These internships would have taken place on Capitol Hill, within the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Justice, USAID, the National Institutes of Health, statehouses, local governments, and domestic and international nonprofits and NGOs.
 
“The public sector badly needs the energy, talent, and fresh perspective of young people,” said Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics. “But because of the pandemic, tomorrow’s leaders have lost some of the opportunities they otherwise would have had to make a difference now. Our new 22nd Century Scholars program is a way for us to help these students learn about and remain engaged in the important work of public life.”
 
The release says the students will participate in a first-ever joint public sector summer internship program starting next week. It will run through the end of July.
 
It says this 2020 virtual summer internship has been made possible through emergency funding provided by the Larry J. Sabato Foundation and the Peter and Eaddo Kiernan Foundation with support from Sonja Hoel Perkins, McGuideWoods Consulting, Michael Greenwald, Larry Schack and Katie Shaw, Erik Hirsch and other donors.
 
Each scholar will get a $2,000 stipend and they will have the ability to work individually and collectively on problems in the wake of the pandemic.
 
They will also have access to webinars with policymakers, nonprofit leaders and others.  UVA alumni will also be donating time as career mentors.
 
The students are: Alixandra Acker, Kathon Betterton, Ellie Bowen, Olivia Burke, Alexi Comella, Stella Connaughton, Roark Corson, Bennett Crow, Shelby Curry, Ann Ashley Daniel, Tommy Dannenfelser, Nidhi Desai, Halinta Diallo, Thomas Driscoll, Martha Gallagher, Kristen Graves, Matthew Greason, Jake Green, Tanmay Gupta, Ben Gustafson, Garrett Hicks, Austin Houck, William Keen, Grace Kurcina, Caroline Lamb, Joria Le, Evan Luellen, Joshua McCray – UVA Wise, Denzel Mitchell, Kaylee Moore, McClain Moran, Bobbi-Angelica Morris, Zoe Olbrys, Brian Pak, Amanda Pallas, Aidan Parker, Daniel Podratsky, Nik Popli, Abigail Quinn, Stephanie Ricker, Kelly Rohe, Donovan Rolle, Math Rowe - UVA Wise, Micah Rucci, Alejandro Rush, Alec Scicchitano, Garrett Scocos, Christine Shan, Eva Surovell, Eleanor Thompson, Katherine Timothy, Ella Tynch, JaVori Warren, Alejandro Williams, Eleanor Williams, and Ellen Yates.
 
For more information on this program, click here.