In commemoration of the 61st anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, Karen Zuccardi, a second-year student from Bogotá, Colombia, has been announced as the recipient of the Little Rock Nine Foundation scholarship at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.
The Clinton School scholarship was established in 2013 by the Little Rock Nine in appreciation of President Bill Clinton and in recognition of the public service work performed by Clinton School students. Zuccardi recently spent the summer in Bali, Indonesia, working with Avani, a social enterprise pioneering eco-friendly packaging and sustainable alternatives.
Nine African-American students – Melba Patillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray Kalmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrence Roberts, Minnijean Brown Trickey, Thelma Mothershed Wair, and the late Jefferson Thomas – became known as the Little Rock Nine when they integrated Little Rock Central High School on September 25, 1957.
“We are honored and are most grateful to the Little Rock Nine for the establishment of this scholarship fund,” said Clinton School Dean James L. “Skip” Rutherford III. “Over the years the Little Rock Nine, as a group and individually, have participated in Clinton School programs and met with our students. Spirit Trickey, daughter of Minnijean Brown Trickey, is one of our graduates and Elizabeth Eckford spoke at our 2018 commencement.”
