Concordia Magazine

A Legend Lives On

By Sheldon Green

They are exceptional students with at least one important distinction in common.

In the past four years, Stephanie Villella '11, Fargo, N.D., and Casey DeRoo '11, Anoka, Minn., have compiled perfect 4.0 GPAs, and neither could have attended Concordia without scholarships.

Villella and DeRoo are recipients of the V. Gordon Lell Endowed Scholarship, created by friends and former students of Dr. Gordon Lell, who taught Shakespeare for nearly 40 years before he died in 2009.

Last year Villella received the first Lell Scholarship, and DeRoo is this year’s recipient.

English department faculty nominate a student for the award based on membership criteria for Omicron Delta Kappa, which recognizes students for their academic achievement and leadership in campus activities. Dr. Lell helped found Concordia’s ODK honor society.

"I need scholarships to attend Concordia, it’s as simple as that," DeRoo says. "My parents weren’t able to set aside money for college, and I hadn’t saved anything. I applied to other schools, but none of them was as generous as Concordia."

DeRoo, a physics and classical studies major, has now won a fellowship to study astrophysics in graduate school.

Villella, who placed in four speech categories as a key member of Concordia’s forensics team, plans to continue working in market research for a Fargo firm following graduation. Her majors are communication and English writing.

"No question, for me, financial aid played a major role in choosing a college," says Villella. "With a Presidential Scholarship and now the Lell Scholarship, Concordia is more affordable than I thought it would be."

Villella and DeRoo are grateful that the Lell Scholarship is helping provide for their education.

"Dr. Lell is so respected here," Villella says. "He has a wonderful reputation as a teacher, and it’s an honor for me to have a scholarship with his name on it."

DeRoo agrees. "Dr. Lell is so revered, everyone speaks of him with so much respect for the impact that he had on faculty and alumni. It’s an honor for me to be connected to this legend."

Photo: Sheldon Green

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