Biography
John (Jay) C. Ruckelshaus IV, Indianapolis, is a senior at Duke University, where he majors in Political Science and minors in Philosophy, History, and English. He has a passion for combining advocacy, politics, and philosophy to help marginalized populations. Shortly before he was scheduled to begin his undergraduate studies at Duke, he broke his neck and severely injured his spinal cord in a diving accident. Despite his quadriplegia, he went on to earn many distinguished awards, including the Duke Faculty Scholars Award, a fellowship to New College, Oxford, a Truman Scholarship, and an internship with Governor Mike Pence. Jay founded the nonprofit Ramp Less Traveled, Inc. to support students with spinal cord injuries in the pursuit of higher education. Jay serves as a student representative on the Duke University Board of Trustees, in Duke Student Government, and as co-founder and co-editor of the Eruditio and Duke Political Science Standard academic journals.