KOKOMO, Ind. — A love of coffee and coffee puns brewed up a scholarship for one Indiana University Kokomo student.
Chancellor Susan Sciame-Giesecke announced Tuesday (June 25) that the new campus coffee house will be named The Ground Up Café, submitted by sophomore Ciara Stout.
“We are so excited to be adding the new coffee house as an additional amenity to our campus,” Sciame-Giesecke said. “It will serve as a central gathering point for students, faculty and staff – a comfortable space where people can meet to work on projects, or visit with friends.
“The coffee house is a space that has been created with students in mind, so it was extremely important to have student input in naming this space. I look forward to seeing everyone at the coffee house this fall!”
Stout received a $250 scholarship, a $100 gift card to the coffee shop, and a basket of IU Kokomo swag as winner of a student contest to name the shop, opening this fall in the Kelley Student Center Commons.
The Warsaw resident looks forward to seeing the name she suggested in the shop’s logo when it opens in August.
“I think it will be really exciting knowing I made a mark on campus, literally,” she said. “It’s an honor to have my name chosen. I think it’s really awesome.”
Stout did some research when developing a name, searching for puns and plays on words involving coffee. When she thought of The Ground Up Café, she knew she had a winner.
“I just thought it would really encompass all the people I met my first year there,” she said, noting that students come from all walks of life, with their own struggles and backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common — starting at ground level.
“Throughout my time at Kokomo, I have worked my way up towards my goals and have seen others do the same,” said Stout, an elementary education major. “IU Kokomo students work from the ground up. It makes sense for a coffee shop, too, since you have to grind coffee.”
Nearly 170 students submitted names for the coffee shop, and each one will receive a coupon for a free drink when it opens.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.