Loyola University Chicago College of Arts and Sciences Student Receives National Academic Recognition

CHICAGO—Loyola University Chicago rising senior Brady Mudge has been named a 2025 Key into Public Service Scholar by The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest academic honor society in the United States. She is one of 20 students chosen from over 800 applicants attending Phi Beta Kappa chapter institutions across the country. 

The Key into Public Service program recognizes exceptional liberal arts and sciences students who demonstrate a strong interest in pursuing careers in local, state, or federal government. Each 2025 scholar will receive a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship and will participate in an educational conference held in Washington, DC, providing them with invaluable training, mentorship, and opportunities to explore pathways to active citizenship. 

As a double major in political science and economics, Mudge is deeply engaged in the Loyola community. She is a research assistant in the Department of Political Science and a member of Kappa Delta sorority, where she served as vice president of finance. Outside of campus, Mudge has gained valuable experience from interning at the district office of her state senator and volunteering on an Illinois state representative campaign.  

“Congratulations to Brady on this incredible recognition,” said Peter J. Schraeder, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her achievements are a testament to the high caliber of students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the University’s commitment to preparing future leaders for public service.” 

Mudge credits her Loyola experience with helping her grow personally and academically. 

“At Loyola, I have enjoyed a learning environment where not everyone is the same as me,” said Mudge. “Being surrounded by students and faculty from various backgrounds and different lived experiences has added to my educational experience.” 

This fall, Mudge will present her research on gender roles in state firearm legislation at the American Political Science Association Conference. 

“One of the highlights of my career has been conducting firearm legislation research under the mentorship of Dr. Patrick Cunha Silva,” she said. “Dr. Silva has been an incredible mentor since my first day of class at Loyola. Learning from him has been a gift.” 

Originally from LaSalle, Illinois, Brady hopes to attend law school and pursue a career at the intersection of finance and foreign policy.  

Alumni of the Society’s program have earned prestigious honors including Rhodes Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, Fulbright Scholarships, Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarships, NAACP Marshall-Motley Scholars, and more.  

“Now is a critical time to highlight both the value of arts and sciences education and its application in public service careers to the benefit of the common good,” Phi Beta Kappa Secretary and CEO Frederick M. Lawrence remarked. “The Society applauds the Class of 2025 Service Scholars for their intellectual curiosity, interdisciplinary depth, leadership, and service to others.” 

For more information about the scholarship and to access individual biographies of the recipients, please visit pbk.org/KeyintoPublicService. 

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About Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, recognized for its academic excellence, commitment to community engagement, and leadership in sustainability. A Carnegie R1 research institution, Loyola leverages its status as one of an elite group of universities with the highest level of research activity to advance knowledge that serves communities and creates global impact. With 15 schools, colleges, and institutes—including Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences—Loyola operates three primary campuses in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, that provide students a transformative, globally connected learning experience. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is a STARS Gold-rated institution that is ranked as one of the country’s most sustainable campuses by The Princeton Review and has earned distinctions from AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation for its longstanding record of service and community engagement. Guided by its Jesuit mission and commitment to caring for the whole person, Loyola educates ethical leaders who think critically, act with purpose, and strive to create a more just and sustainable world.

About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest of Loyola University Chicago’s 13 schools and colleges. More than 150 years since its founding, the College is home to 20 academic departments, 31 interdisciplinary programs, and 7 interdisciplinary centers, more than 450 full-time faculty, and nearly 8,000 students. The 2,000+ classes that we offer each semester span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at our campus in Rome, Italy, as well as at dozens of university-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the university’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”

About The Phi Beta Kappa Society 

Founded on Dec. 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at over 290 colleges and universities in the United States, nearly 50 alumni associations, and more than 700,000 members worldwide. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates. The mission of The Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought, and recognize academic excellence. For more information, visit www.pbk.org.