TACOMA, Wash. – Beatrice Bridge of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Hayden Borg of Denver, Colo., have been named University of Puget Sound Lillis Scholars. The university’s most prestigious and competitive award honoring incoming students for their academic excellence, the Lillis Scholarship covers tuition, fees, and room and board for up to four years.

The Lillis Scholarships are generously funded by a gift from Gwendolyn H. Lillis P’05 and Charles M. Lillis P’05 through The Lillis Foundation. Lillis Scholars thrive on learning and exploring ideas, and are chosen for their outstanding academic performance, intellectual independence, and drive to pursue excellence throughout their lives. Bridge and Borg are members of the Puget Sound Class of 2022 and join a cohort of Lillis Scholars named since the program began making awards in 2008. 

Bee Bridge (Salt Lake City)

Bee Bridge calls herself a perfectionist.

“Whatever I do I like to try my hardest and invest myself fully in it,” she says. While she’s not sure exactly what major she will eventually choose, she says it will be “something that I have big passion about and that I can learn and master and strive for that perfection.”

Bridge has always had a creative streak. She says that while, “We had toys,” she and her younger siblings would often create characters and costumes out of everyday objects and play in their own little worlds. Her creative bug was nurtured at a charter elementary school and an arts academy, and while she loves the arts she’s not sure that’s what she wants to do for a living.

“I’d like to do something that has creativity in it, but I think that art is going to be one of my hobbies that I’d like to maintain,” Bridge says. More likely, her major choice will be somewhere in the realm of mathematics and sciences. “I’m also interested in the social sciences because I feel like political activism is something that’s important to me. I also like math and the computational aspect of learning, so that’s one thing I want to go into.”

“I want to study as many things as I can so I’m not corralling myself into a corner that maybe one day I’ll want to get out of,” Bridge says.

Bridge is a National AP Scholar, a National Merit semi-finalist, and earned a certificate of honor for academic achievement and the Yale Book Award for Outstanding Personal Character and Intellectual Promise. She participated in lacrosse and cross-country in high school and served as an ACT and math tutor. 

Hayden Borg (Denver)

Hayden Borg has the outdoors in his blood. He was named after the north central Colorado town of Hayden, where his family owns a one-room schoolhouse. Countless hours spent skiing, camping, and hiking in places far off the beaten path are the foundation of his interest in environmental conservation.

“I just love it up there and I think that’s probably why I’d like to preserve places like that,” Borg says.

Academically, Borg plans to focus on mathematics and engineering. He knew he was good at math when he was quite young.

“I figured out how to enjoy it afterwards,” Borg says with a laugh. He got an early start in engineering, too. As a child he loved to take household items apart and try to put them back together.

“I like to figure out how things work and then use that to build stuff,” Borg says.

In high school, Borg played soccer, lacrosse, and euphonium. He competed in speech, debate and skiing, and volunteered with WorldDenver, a nonprofit that creates opportunities for Coloradans to connect with leaders from around the world. 

About the Lillis Scholar Program

The Lillis Scholar Program was established in 2007 through a generous gift made by The Lillis Foundation to recognize academic excellence and encourage intellectual independence. Gwen Lillis is chair of The Lillis Foundation; a trustee emerita of the University of Puget Sound; and chair of the board of advisors at the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business. Charles Lillis is former chair and chief executive of MediaOne Group, founding partner of LoneTree Capital Management, and chair of the board of trustees at the University of Oregon. Gwen and Charles are the parents of Puget Sound alumna Jessica Baker Isaacs ’05. Each year two Lillis Scholars are selected from the incoming first-year class.

For information about eligibility for the Lillis Scholar Program, contact the Office of Admission at 253.879.3211 or visit pugetsound.edu/scholarships.

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Press photos of University of Puget Sound can be downloaded from pugetsound.edu/pressphotos.

Press photos of Beatrice Bridge and Hayden Borg are available upon request.