Meet Lea, the Lincoln Laureate

WHERE HER IDOLS STOOD: Monmouth's Lincoln Laureate is traditionally congratulated by the president, so it was Lea Selquist's turn to pose in front of Wallace Hall, joined by Patricia Draves. MONMOUTH, Ill. – Although she’s a self-described “numbers girl,” accounting and Spanish double major Lea Selquist ’25 of Peru, Illinois, has enjoyed opportunities to exercise the other half of her brain in college.

In fact, her final act as a Monmouth College student will also draw on the right side of her brain. Selquist will address her classmates at next May’s Commencement by virtue of her selection as this year’s Lincoln Laureate.

Each fall, an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is awarded the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award and thereby becomes a Student Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Student Laureates are honored for their overall excellence in curricular and cocurricular activities.

Quite the résumé

“This has always been an honor I’ve looked up to and strived to achieve,” said Selquist, who was “absolutely flabbergasted” to learn the news from staff member Marnie Steach. “I think of the past Lincoln Laureates during my time here, and they are such strong, intelligent women – people that I really look up to, people that I still stay in contact with and kind of idolize. When Marnie said I was one of them, I said, ‘No way!’ It’s an honor to me. It shows that people notice all the work that I’ve put in, and I really appreciate that.”

“I think of the past Lincoln Laureates during my time here, and they are such strong, intelligent women – people that I really look up to, people that I still stay in contact with and kind of idolize.” – Lea Selquist

Selquist’s many accomplishments – which include six straight semesters on the Dean’s List – were hard to miss. She is a recipient of the Monmouth College Presidential Scholarship and the Nathan and Laura Gaskill Accounting Prize. She has also excelled in cocurricular activities, serving in several leadership roles on campus, including treasurer for two honor societies – Mortar Board and Order of Omega – and Raices, the college’s Hispanic club. She has also held officer positions in Alpha Xi Delta sorority and Panhellenic Council.

A member of the prestigious James and Sybil Stockdale Fellows, Selquist has served as a Scot Ambassador, an accounting tutor and an editor of the Midwest Journal of Undergraduate Research, all while balancing her commitment as a member of the Fighting Scots women’s soccer and lacrosse teams.

Monmouth’s magic drew her in

Selquist’s initial exposure to Monmouth was through soccer, and her campus visit shot the school up her personal ranking of colleges.

“It wasn’t really top of my list until I stepped foot here, and I said ‘This feels comfortable, cozy. I feel safe here,’” she said. “I feel this warmth spread over me every time I set foot on this campus. I think it’s truly magical. I was also excited that it wasn’t far from home. I value my family a lot, and I was very excited that they’d be able to come to all the games and come visit me, but it just felt like it was my own place, too.”

Soccer, accounting and ‘so much more’

“Soccer and accounting was what I was looking for, but Monmouth just said, ‘Here’s so much more,’ and that was amazing for me,” said Selquist, who decided to continue with Spanish after studying it in high school. “I said, ‘It’s going to be marketable in the future. Let’s see if we can keep it going.’ I think it’s very important for people to be bilingual in this day and age. I think it’s a life skill.”

It was also an opportunity to spread her wings and do a different type of academic work.

“But really, it was that liberal arts curriculum that got me into it the most,” she said. “When I got on campus, I not only had my business and accounting classes, but I also had classes like ‘Identity & Inquiry.’ I got to read beautiful books and learn to be more open-minded. I learned to be more creative and to feed that other half of my brain. … I love that Monmouth has given me that opportunity to be both.”

As an incoming freshman, Selquist was invited to start college three weeks early by participating in Monmouth’s SOFIA program, which stands for Summer Opportunities for Intellectual Activities. She now regrets turning that down, but she still got a head start on making friends through the soccer team, and she’s continued down that path through Alpha Xi Delta.

“I got to read beautiful books and learn to be more open-minded. I learned to be more creative and to feed that other half of my brain. … I love that Monmouth has given me that opportunity to be both.” – Lea Selquist

“Alpha Xi is just so special to me. We are commonly referred to as the sorority of girls who never wanted to be in a sorority,” she said. “I think that’s because we’re just a big group of friends. We never wanted to fit any kind of stereotype. We were always a little bit apprehensive of sororities, and then we met each other, and we said, ‘Actually, yes. Let’s be together. Let’s be goofy and be silly.’”

Selquist called her decision to join AXD “one of the most important parts of my college career.”

“My sorority ‘big,’ my ‘little’ – they’re going to be my bridesmaids. I’ll have these friends forever,” she said. “It’s so invaluable to have a place where you can be yourself while you’re going through all these hard things like academics or athletics, or even just trying to find out who you are in college.”

Why Monmouth, and what’s next

As a Scot Ambassador, Selquist regularly gets the opportunity to talk about her school.

“I tell prospective students that Monmouth College is somewhere where you will be seen,” she said. “I believe it wholeheartedly that when you get on this campus, there’s going to be someone there who is always going to support you. You’re going to have someone on your side.”

“I tell prospective students that Monmouth College is somewhere where you will be seen. I believe it wholeheartedly that when you get on this campus, there’s going to be someone there who is always going to support you. You’re going to have someone on your side.” – Lea Selquist

Selquist recently accepted a full-time position with RSM as an assurance associate and plans to sit for the certified public accountant examination in summer 2025.

“I’m very excited to start my future there and start my career there,” she said. “It’s a big breath of relief for my senior year. I can enjoy it and work hard on my academics, but I know that when I graduate, I’m going to have something exciting waiting for me. But don’t be fooled – I’m still very sad to leave Monmouth College.”

Listen Up …

Lea Selquist ’25 discusses her Monmouth experience on the “Monmouth College Conversations” podcast.