06/06/2017

College News
Ellianna Schwab, John Wetmore (top, r) and Patryk Perkowski (bottom, l)

Macaulay Honors College congratulates its 33 students and alumni who have claimed highly competitive and merit-based awards and scholarships in 2017. Four students have won Fulbright awards; five Macaulay students and alumni will receive funds from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships for graduate studies; and one has received the competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship.  Macaulay students’ achievements underscore their ambition, focus and achievement in areas ranging from public policy, to academic research to community service.

The Boren Awards for International Study

Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S.

Jacob Kessler ’17 (Hunter College) majors are Political Science and Chinese with minors in Arabic and Public Policy and he will be a student at Beijing Union University beginning in September 2017 studying Chinese, and then have a part-time internship in the city.

David O’Conner ’17 (Hunter College) has a double major in Economics and Chinese and will do course work at Nanking University and also complete an internship while in China.

Frances Raybaud ’19 (Queens College), who is majoring in Political Science and has minors in French, Arabic and Environmental Studies, will be using her scholarship to fund her Arabic language study, as well as to study the politics of environmental action in Morocco.

Yelena Suponya ’17 (Hunter College) who has a double major in Chinese and Environmental Studies with a minor is Psychology, will study at Nanking University and also complete an internship while in China.

Critical Language Scholarships

The Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS) is an intensive overseas language study program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and is part of a U.S. government effort to dramatically expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages.

Nicole Rojas ’18 (Hunter College) has a double major in Chinese and Political Science with a minor in Human Rights. He will be studying Chinese at Changchun over the summer 2017.

Olivia Sztanga ’17 (Baruch College) has a double major in Political Science and Economics and will be studying Arabic to be able to communicate and work with refugees and other types of migrants from Arabic-speaking countries.

Kevin Tang ’16 (Hunter College), who has a dual major in Chemistry and Urban Studies, will spend 8 weeks in Tangiers studying at the Arab American Language Institute in Morocco.

The Fulbright Program

Regarded as one of the most prestigious awards programs in the world, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program. The Fulbright has helped to nurture 43 Nobel laureates since its founding in 1946.

Maneesha Bhugwansing ’14 (Baruch College) has won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Norine Chan ’17 (Hunter College) has won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to teach English in Taiwan to elementary and secondary school students.

Alexandra (Sasha) Whittaker ’17 (City College) is the recipient of a Fulbright Study/Research Grant research post-World War II Polish photography at Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM) in Poznań.

John Wetmore ’17 (Hunter College) has won a Fulbright Secondary Teaching Assistantship Fellowship to teach English working at Colegio Decroly, a secondary school in Spain.

Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship

The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints.

Nabil Ahmed Khatri ’17 (City College) is a Computer Science major at the Grove School of Engineering at City College. He attended the VU Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit) in the Netherlands in the Spring 2017 semester.

David Lee ’17 (Queens College) has a double major in Computer Science and Graphic Design. She used her Gilman Scholarship to study at Kobe University in Japan.

Winnie Shen ’18 (Hunter College) used her Gilman Scholarship to study in China.

Michelle Sheu ’17 (Baruch College, CUNY BA) is pursuing her self-directed CUNY BA in Design and Storytelling to explore the intersections of tech and visual communication as a medium to address social issues. Michelle studied abroad in Costa Rica at the Universidad Veritas for the Spring 2017 semester.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The NSF program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who are pursuing research based graduate degrees.

Munazza Khalida Alam ’16 (Hunter College) currently studies at Harvard University and received her NSF fellowship for her work in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Joseph Derosa ’15 (City College) is currently at the Scripps Research Institute. He received his NSF fellowship for his study in chemistry and chemical catalysis.

Thomas Davis Peek Hart ’15 (Hunter College) who is currently studying at Rockefeller University, has received an NSF fellowship for his study in life sciences and organismal biology.

Patryk Perkowski ’14 (Queens College) currently works at Innovations for Poverty Action on projects related to poverty and violence.  He plans to pursue a Ph. D. in Economics.

Elianna Schwab ’17 (City College) is a Physics and Math major and intends to use her NSF grant to study gravitational waves in close binary stars. She is also the valedictorian for City’s commencement this year.

The Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship

The Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship Program provides undergraduate and graduate students with financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them academically and professionally for a career in the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service.

Rausan Borujerdi, ’16 (City College) will attend Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs to study international security with a specialization in the Middle East.

The CUNY Jonas E. Salk Scholarship

CUNY created the Salk program in 1955 to honor Dr. Jonas E. Salk, the1934 graduate of City College who discovered the polio vaccine. The Salk Scholarship identifies students entering the fields of medicine and the Biological sciences who are most likely to make an impact on medicine and research.

Ma Su Su Aung ’17 (City College) will study to be a physician at Creighton University School of Medicine.

Anika Nabila ’17 (Baruch College) will pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Harry S. Truman Scholarship

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was created by Congress in 1975 to be the nation’s living memorial to President Harry S. Truman. The Foundation has a mission to select and support the next generation of public service leaders.

Claire Lynch ’17 (City College) is double-majoring in Political Science and Jewish Studies. Her interests include migration, immigration, and refugee work.

NYC Urban Fellows Program

The NYC Urban Fellows Program is a highly selective, nine-month fellowship designed to introduce America’s finest college students and graduates to local government and public service. The program combines work in Mayoral offices and City agencies with an intensive seminar series that explores current urban issues impacting public policy.

Thomas Hutton ’17 (Hunter College) has a double major in Environmental Studies and Political Science, as well as a Public Policy Certificate. He has coached high school students on civic action projects to promote the democratic process.

Matthew LoCastro ’17 (Hunter College) majored in Political Science. He had an internship at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), where he conducted research with General David Petraeus and Neil Brown, the Director of Policy and Research for KKR’s Global Institute.

Jeannette K. Watson Award

The Watson Fellowship is a three-year program that provides summer internships, mentoring, and enriched educational opportunities to promising students from partner institutions in New York City and abroad.

Marco Costanza ’19 (College of Staten Island) is pursuing a dual degree in Psychology and Spanish. He will be interning at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Maisha Kamal ’19 (Brooklyn College) is a Business Economics and English major with a strong interest in public policy and human rights. She will be interning at Open Society Foundations.

Kaitlin McDermott ’19 (Queens College) is triple-majoring in English, History, and American Studies, with a minor in the Social Sciences. She will be interning at Broadway Housing Communities.

Alexandra Shoneyin ’20 (John Jay College) is currently undecided in her major, but leaning towards philosophy and English, with an interest in social justice, art, and music. She will be interning at the the Studio Museum in Harlem.

Victoria Smith ’20 (Lehman College) is undeclared, but interested in psychology, Africana studies, and music. She will be interning at the THANC Foundation.

Saif Zihiri ’19 (Hunter College) is a Political Science major with a certificate in Public Policy and Human Rights. He will be interning at America Needs You.

Other Outstanding Achievement:

Chelsea Batista ’17 (Brooklyn College), who was accepted to 11 medical schools, will attend Columbia University’s College of Surgeon and Physicians with scholarships and grants that will cover full tuition, plus room and board.

Lucinda Zawadzki ’15 (CSI) was accepted to the Ph.D. program in Zoology at Oxford University on a full tuition scholarship.

 

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