March 9, 2010 — Noaa Spiekermann, a second-year student at the University of Virginia, is among five students nationwide chosen to receive a $1,000 Integrity Scholarship from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Spiekermann, 20, the daughter of Joy and Burkhard Spiekermann of Charlottesville, graduated from Western Albemarle High School.

She was judged on an essay examining a climate of greed and presented examples of how she lives a life of integrity.

"I talked about two of my experiences in high school where I felt bad for doing things that I wasn't sure if my teachers considered cheating, like using SparkNotes as a supplement, so I talked to them about it," she said. "I felt a little stupid because I thought I was being overly paranoid, but I decided I'd rather be 'too honest' than lose peoples' trust."

"I was very impressed with Noaa's essays," said Bailey Kasten, a scholarship review committee member. "Integrity is the foundation of our pillars of scholarship, leadership and service and we take it very seriously. Noaa thoroughly explained how integrity plays a vital role in her daily life."

Spiekermann is an Echols Scholar and a member of Hoos Open to Preventing Eating Disorders, the Outdoors Club and the Cycling Club. She has also participated in the Alternative Spring Break public-service program.

To learn more about NSCS, visit here.