By Garret Strother

Staff Writer

The sight is familiar to almost all Prospect students: a plaque hanging in the Language Lab bearing a sea of engraved names and a picture of a young man floating in the midst. What students might not take the time to find out is that this young man is Eric Duffell, whose love of language continues to make an impact at Prospect long after he lived.

Duffell, who graduated in 1992, was a star Russian language student all four years at Prospect. This propelled him on a trip to a Russian language competition in Moscow his junior year and kept serving him long after he graduated. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Georgetown with a Bachelor’s in Russian language, he went on to teach English in Prague, Czech Republic,  while further nurturing his linguistic gift learning French and Czech. It is in Prague that on September 3, 2000, Duffell was struck and killed by a train.

However, his enthusiasm stills lives on as every year two Prospect students are awarded $1,000 scholarships in his honor. The requirements for the Eric Duffell World Language Scholarship are four years in the same language with a B average, participation in the language outside of class, an essay and a teacher recommendation.

Applications can be picked up as well as turned in in the College and Career Center. They are due by Friday, April 11.