BALTIMORE, MD – Eden Epner, a 2018 graduate of Johns Hopkins and a four-year member of the Blue Jay women's lacrosse team, has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship it was announced today. The NCAA selected 21 male and 21 female athletes from all spring sports and all divisions and each of the 42 student-athletes will receive a $10,000 award for postgraduate study.  
 
Johns Hopkins has now produced 46 all-time NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients and Epner's selection marks the sixth consecutive year that at least one Blue Jay student-athlete has earned the prestigious award.  Epner is the second member of the Blue Jay women's lacrosse to be selected as she joins Taylor D'Amore, who earned the award in 2014. She is the 11^th female athlete at Johns Hopkins to earn the award.
 
Epner will attend the McGovern Medical School at UT-Houston beginning this fall. She graduated from Hopkins with a degree in psychological and brain sciences and a cumulative GPA of 3.86. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and IWLCA Academic Honor Roll selection, Epner was awarded the IWCLA's Community Awareness Award in May 2018.
 
Epner gave greatly of her time in her four years with the Blue Jays. She volunteered at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) at Johns Hopkins Hospital where she worked with babies, toddlers, and adolescents with pediatric developmental disabilities and disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system. Epner helped her patients minimize the stressors of hospital life and reach therapeutic goals through structured play, psychosocial support, and recreational activities. In the fall of her senior year, she spearheaded the planning of JHU's inaugural One Love Field Day FUNdraiser. The event raised almost $6,000 for the One Love Foundation, which raises awareness regarding relationship violence.

Epner had been a Positive Coach Alliance (PCA) Ambassador since 2013 and served on their National Student-Athlete Advisory Board and took on a leadership role in their social media efforts. She was also the Women's Pre-Health Leadership Society (WPHLS) Community Engagement Chair and in that role, organized service activities and integrated a new initiative, ACEing Autism tennis sessions. In her role as a volunteer medical scribe for HOPE Community Clinic, Epner served Houston's refugee and immigrant community. Additionally, she served as the President of JHU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where she led their community engagement efforts.