Scholarships and Other Honors 2011

How useful is a Dickinson education? Just ask our students and alums.

Dickinsonians regularly earn prestigious grants and scholarships, conduct research, work around the world and enter esteemed graduate programs. And, at a time of economic uncertainty, our students and alums are securing desirable positions on Wall Street, Main Street and beyond. They’re entering the growing fields of environmental science, finance, education, the arts, international business, peace advocacy and more.

Here are just a few of the accomplished Dickinsonians who have earned accolades at Dickinson and beyond.

Seniors

Sarah Brnich '11

Sarah Brnich ’11, a double major in Spanish and biochemistry & molecular biology from Ellicott City, Md., has been awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship to Argentina. Brnich spent the fall of her junior year abroad in Dickinson’s partner program, IES Buenos Aires, the oldest study abroad program in Argentina. Her Fulbright award will take her back to Buenos Aires to work on a collaborative U.S.-Latin America project, “Molecular Profiling of Stage II and III Breast Cancer.” I will be able to apply the research skills I have learned at Dickinson while working at the premier institute of basic and applied research in Argentina, Instituto Leloir. As part of an investigative team, I will be studying the molecular profiles of Argentine women with stage II and III non-metastatic breast cancer. The Fulbright will give me the opportunity to see the project at all its stages. I will work with patients in a clinical hospital setting, run experiments on samples in the lab and perform analysis to create a database that will ideally [this will] help to identify treatment patterns that will not only benefit Argentine women, but also Latin American women residing in the U.S.

Jamie Hur '11

Jamie Hur ’11, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Salisbury, Md., has obtained a post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) fellowship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The fellowship provides recent college graduates with an opportunity to perform research at the NIH for one to two years prior to applying to graduate or professional school. Fellows’ works side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.

Kathryn McNamara '11

Kathryn McNamara ’11 an international-studies major from Rockville, Md., has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to the Republic of Indonesia. While in Indonesia, she will also pursue a supplemental project teaching business English classes to adults in her community. McNamara spent last year in Rabat, Morocco, to continue her study of Arabic. She also taught English and interned at the Democratic Association for Moroccan Women in Rabat. Previously, she interned with Free the Slaves, an anti-slavery organization in Washington, D.C., and spent two summers working for the U.S. Department of State. I lived in Southeast Asia when I was younger and the experience was truly formative for me. I have always hoped to go back and relearn Indonesia on my own terms. I chose to pursue the study of Arabic and Islam at Dickinson because I want to help erase some of the stereotypes that are pervasive in a post-9/11, post-War on Terror world. Indonesia for me is the next logical step in this journey, and teaching English is a wonderful way to facilitate cross-cultural communication and promote understanding.

Leslie Mendoza '11

Leslie Mendoza ’11 of Cudahy, Calif., has been awarded a $26,000 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship for graduate study during the 2012/13 academic year. Her top two choices are the London School of Economics and La Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. An international-studies and Latin American/Latino/Caribbean-studies double major, she graduated cum laude from Dickinson College on May 22. A Posse Foundation Scholar from Los Angeles, Mendoza spent her junior year studying aboard at Dickinson’s program in Málaga, Spain.

Mendoza will regularly provide update reports to Rotary International and give speeches about her educational experience to various rotary clubs.

Rotary International is a global network of community volunteers that works to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational and cultural-exchange programs. Since 1947, nearly 37,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied abroad through its programs, making it the world's largest privately funded international scholarship program.

Juniors, Sophomores, First-Years

Travis Mable '14

Travis Mable ’14, a Middle East studies major from Lancaster, Pa., has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Arabic in Oman during the summer of 2011. Mable is one of two Dickinson students to receive a CLS for the summer. These students are among the approximately 575 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s CLS Program in 2011 to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish or Urdu languages. U.S. students will spend seven to 10 weeks in intensive language institutes in 14 countries where these languages are spoken. The CLS Program provides fully funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. CLS Program participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. The CLS Program is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers and American Councils for International Education.

David Milstein '13

David Milstein ’13, a political science major from McLean, Va., has been awarded a Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship from The Phillips Foundation. Based in Washington, D.C., the nonprofit foundation seeks to advance Constitutional principles, a democratic society and a vibrant free-enterprise system. In addition to the Ronald Reagan College Leaders Scholarship Program, the foundation administers the Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship Program, which awards grants to print and online journalists.

Alexandra North '13

Alexandra Min-Ying North ’13, an English and women’s and gender-studies double major from Austin, Texas, has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Russian in Russia during the summer of 2011. North is one of two Dickinson students to receive a CLS for the summer. These students are among the approximately 575 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s CLS Program in 2011 to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish or Urdu languages. U.S. students will spend seven to 10 weeks in intensive language institutes in 14 countries where these languages are spoken. The CLS Program provides fully funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. CLS Program participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. The CLS Program is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers and American Councils for International Education.

Giovania Tiarachristie '13

Giovania ‘G’ Tiarachristie ’13, an international studies and sociology major from Pittsburgh Pa., has been selected as a 2011 Udall Scholar. This highly prestigious award reflects an individual's commitment to a career related to the environment, health care or tribal public policy; leadership potential; and academic achievement. On campus, G is involved in The Alliance for Aquatic Resources Monitoring (ALLARM), Amnesty International, Liberty Caps, Bonner Leaders, the Public Affairs Symposium and Habitat for Humanity. Only 80 scholars were chosen from a field of 510 candidates from 231 colleges and universities. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for the scholar’s junior or senior year. The 2011 Udall Scholars will assemble August 3-7 in Tucson, Arizona, to receive their awards and meet policymakers and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care and governance. The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation honors the legacy of the late Morris Udall, who represented Southern Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years, and his older brother Stewart Udall, who also represented Southern Arizona in Congress from 1955 to 1961. The two worked together on many environmental and Native American initiatives while Stewart Udall was secretary of the interior and Morris Udall a member of Congress.

Recent Alumni

Denise Del Gaudio '10

Denise Del Gaudio ’10 has earned a Fulbright award for an English teaching assistantship in Guatemala City.

Del Gaudio, of Huntington, N.Y., began the assistantship in January and will live and work in Guatemala City until November, 2011. She teaches at the Instituto Guatemalteco Americano, where she assists in English classes, works in English conversation clubs and maintains a blog. She also is taking Spanish classes

Glenda Garcia '09

Glenda Garcia ’09, a women's & gender-studies major, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to the Kingdom of Thailand. She is the second Posse Foundation scholar in recent years to receive a Fulbright. Garcia has spent the last year in Somerton, Ariz., as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. In that post, she coordinated programming and volunteer efforts and wrote and implemented curriculum that involved parents as part of the students’ learning experiences. She is currently a VISTA leader in Baltimore City. While teaching in Thailand, Garcia hopes to continue research she had conducted as part of a mosaic course at Dickinson. My research compared women farmers in Pennsylvania to women farmers in Venezuela. Now, I’m hoping to research women rice farmers in Thailand, as well.