The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has awarded Junior Alexander Pantoja a Thomas D. Rossing Physics Scholarship for 2022-2023 totaling $5,000. Each year, the ELCA less than 15 of these competitive awards for recognition of excellence in physics among undergraduates within their network of 26 colleges and universities. The scholarship demonstrates the ELCA's support for academic excellence as it conveys confidence, as well as the inherent value of physics departments at affiliated schools at liberal arts institutions with smaller physics departments.

Dr. Rossing began his academic career as a professor at St. Olaf College, where he became chair of the physics department, and later continued at Northern Illinois University. Now retired, he continues to teach part-time at Stanford University. He established the scholarship in 2005 to recognize the best and brightest undergraduates across the ELCA college network while simultaneously helping to increase the amount of financial aid they receive.

After graduation, Pantoja plans on earning his master's degree and going into the engineering field. He also wants prospective students to understand they can be successful in challenging disciplines in different areas of STEM.

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.7 million members in more than 9,300 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.