| Lucas Pepper, SPA ’08
Bishop James K. and Eunice J. Matthews Scholarship
Spirituality Key to SPA Student’s Success
Lucas Pepper is the recipient of the Bishop James K. and Eunice J. Matthews Scholarship. The scholarship was established in 2004 by the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation in recognition of Bishop Matthew’s long career in the United Methodist Church and his membership on the Board of Trustees at American University. The scholarship supports an undergraduate student in good standing who is a member of the United Methodist Church or the child of a member of the Methodist clergy. |
BY ADRIENNE FRANK
Lucas Pepper doesn’t plan to spend his summer break relaxing poolside.
Rather, the School of Public Affairs student will spend his vacation helping to repair and build homes for low-income residents in Kentucky and Tennessee as part of the Appalachian Service Project (ASP), a program affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
“ASP helps me focus on my spirituality,” says Pepper, who’s participated in the project for the last five summers. “It’s service to others and service to God.”
The 19-year-old Chicago native has been involved in the Methodist Church for years as a member of the Northern Illinois United Methodist Conference Council on Youth Ministry and now with AU’s United Methodist Student Association.
Pepper was drawn to AU because of its location in the heart of D.C. “Living here, there are a lot of areas where you can get involved. While he relaxes by playing trombone in the pep band, he also participated in the February 2005 Student March Against AIDS. “I wouldn’t have had that opportunity back in the suburbs of Chicago,” he says with certainty.
“Government affects everyone, whether on a local, state, or federal level,” explains Pepper, who interned with an Illinois state representative during high school. “Because of that, we have a responsibility to change things for the better, and I think that change starts in the classroom.” While Pepper isn’t ruling out a career as a community activist or pastor, he would certainly like to teach government courses, to “help open the minds of young people.”
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