Marlee Stark,
Wake Forest

Degrees: B.S. in Business & Enterprise Management; Minors in Politics & International Affairs and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

How did the Stamps Scholarship help shape your undergraduate experience?
The Stamps Scholarship afforded me the opportunity of an education that would have been well beyond my reach otherwise. I am forever grateful to have had the comfort of pursuing my academic interests without the burden of fear.

Tell us a piece of wisdom you’ve learned over the past four years.
Always be kinder than you feel.

Who has had the greatest impact on you throughout your college career and how so?
Dr. Wanda Balzano and Dr. Angela Kocze of the Wake Forest Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies have been my biggest allies during my four years of college. They have helped me explore academic interests in women’s entrepreneurship, leadership, and nonprofit management.

What’s your favorite Stamps Scholar memory?
7 days spent on a tiny sailboat off the coast of Maine with people who were at the time complete strangers and are now individuals that I call friends. I participated in one of the Outward Bound programs right before I started at Wake Forest, and my absolute favorite memory from this experience was all of us Stamps Scholars from different schools huddling up in the cold evening air to make fresh lobster and clam chowder on-board the boat before sleeping under the Maine sky for one last time.

What comes next?
I plan to soak up one last Arkansas summer before moving to the Washington, DC area to work as a consultant in EY’s advisory practice. Ultimately, I plan to pursue graduate studies in public policy and government.

Please share your favorite inspirational quote.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill