Brad Bormann ’14 Wins George Wharton Pepper Prize

Brad Bormann ’14 (Flemington, N.J.) is the recipient of the George Wharton Pepper Prize, awarded annually to the senior “who most nearly represents the Lafayette ideal.”

Brad Bormann ’14

A biology major with a minor in English, Bormann was chosen through a vote of the student body and faculty, and will speak at Lafayette’s 179th Commencement Saturday, May 24. Following graduation, he will participate in the Teach For America program in New Jersey for two years before attending medical school.

“Lafayette has inspired me through the full spectrum of my accomplishments, and I hope that, in some small way, I have returned the favor through my earnest contributions to the constructive and composite Lafayette ideal,” says Bormann.

Bormann is committed to service in both the Lafayette and Easton communities. He has volunteered through Landis Center’s Adopt-a-Grandparent Program for four years, visiting the Easton Area Senior Center on a weekly basis, as well as the Third Street Alliance Senior Care Center.

Through a Preminger Gerontology Research Scholarship, he took part in research with Elaine Reynolds, associate professor of biology, focusing on the daily activities at the Easton Area Senior Center and collecting narratives from its members concerning their experiences of growing old in the city.

On campus, he served as executive chair of the Experience Lafayette Committee and a student-leader intern, planning events such as the Lafayette Leadership Institute and Aaron O. Hoff Awards.

He performed independent study and work through the EXCEL Scholars undergraduate research program with Manuel Ospina-Giraldo, associate professor of biology, focusing on a fungal-like organism that causes the late blight disease in potato plants. He also served as a supplemental instructor for Biology 101 and a peer mentor for the Academic Tutoring and Training Information Center.

Bormann has started for three years on the offensive line for the football team, and served as a team captain during the Leopards’ Patriot League championship season last fall. He was the Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a Capital One Academic All-American, Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star, and inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame.

The Pepper Prize was established in 1923 by George Wharton Pepper H’22, a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, attorney, and founding member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. In his gift, Pepper noted that the “ideal” Lafayette student combines a “sound academic record” with “noteworthy participation in College activities and student life.”