Two Luther students named Nobel Peace Scholars

Posted: Sun, Mar 10, 2019 4:54 PM

Luther College junior Kristen Hansen and sophomore Piper Wood have been selected as Peace Scholars for the 2018-19 academic year. The pair will spend six weeks studying peace and dialogue in Lillehammer and Oslo, Norway.

Hansen is a 2016 graduate of Rochester John Marshall High School. She plans to graduate from Luther in 2020 with a major in women and gender studies and minors in English and Africana Studies. She is the daughter of Raymond and Mary Hansen of Oronoco, Minnesota.

Wood is a 2017 graduate of West De Moines Valley High School. She plans to graduate from Luther in 2021 with majors in environmental studies and international studies. She is the daughter of Sarah Wood of Des Moines.

Luther is one of six colleges founded by Norwegian-American immigrants in the 19th century that participate in the annual summer Peace Scholars program in Norway. The program, an outgrowth of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum held in Minneapolis, is designed to deepen students' understanding of the central issues and theories regarding conflict, war and peace. Through an application and interview process, students from Augsburg College, Augustana University-Sioux Falls, Concordia College-Moorhead, Luther, Pacific Lutheran University, St. Olaf College and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are selected as Peace Scholars.