2016 Fellowship Recipients

2016 Boren Scholarship Recipients

This year, the Institute of International Education, which administers the awards on behalf of NSEP, received 820 applications from undergraduate students for the Boren Scholarship and 165 were awarded.

Samantha Archie is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and the Global Economy. Samantha will study in Tanzania on the Boren Scholarship African Flagship Languages Initiative.

Vivian Le is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning and Development. She will study in Vietnam on the Boren Scholarship.

Alexander Melnik is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Policy, Planning and Development and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. He won the Boren Scholarship to study in Indonesia.

Sooji Nam is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast and Digital Journalism and International Relations. She will study in South Korea on the Boren Scholarship.

2016 Critical Language Scholarship Recipients

Colin Conwell – Turkish in Baku, Azerbaijan

Max Kapur – Korean in Gwangju, South Korea

Ethan Levin – Chinese in Changchun, China

2016 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grant Recipients

As the flagship international fellowship program of the United States, the Fulbright Student Grant supports one year of independent study, research, and teaching in one of over 140 countries around the world. Recently, nearly 9,000 students from around the United States competed for about 1900 Fulbright grants.

Sean Allgood will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Computational Neuroscience. He is the recipient of a Fulbright research grant to Spain to conduct Alzheimer’s research in collaboration with the Cajal Institute in Madrid.

Jillian Barndt is a Ph.D. student in History. Her Fulbright research project takes her to Japan where she will examine the education system of Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) period, reconstructing learning undertaken by both courtiers and warriors.

Margarette (Maggie) Deagon is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in both Social Sciences (Psychology) and Spanish, with a minor in Korean Studies. Maggie will depart this summer to begin her English Teaching Assistantship assignment in South Korea.

Constance (Connie) Ge graduated from USC in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in American Studies and Ethnicity. Connie will be teaching English with the Fulbright ETA program in Indonesia.

Helen Anne Kennedy will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations (Global Business). Anne will be a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Laos for the upcoming academic year.

Robin Liu is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations (Global Business) and a minor in German Studies. Robin won a Fulbright grant to Germany and will conduct research on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Julia Loup will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Communication Design. She is the first USC student to win the Fulbright Combined Grant to Austria where she will conduct research and also teach English.

Marie McCoy-Thompson is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Narrative Studies, with minors in both French and Marketing. Marie is the recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Thailand.

Dominique Murdock will graduate with a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Dominique will begin her English Teaching Assistantship assignment in Taiwan this summer.

Hai-Vu Phan is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and International Relations at USC. As a recipient of the Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship, Hai-Vu will be placed with Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Energía y Minería, which is in charge of all national investments in energy and mining projects in Peru. She is passionate about helping Peru’s energy efforts, and her Fulbright academic project will become part of her dissertation on the obstacles to electrification in Latin America.

Martha Ryan is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Global Health. Martha is the recipient of a Fulbright research grant where she will investigate how anti-stigma interventions can be adapted to culturally diverse red light areas in India.

Meredith Shaw is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and International Relations at USC. Meredith willspend a year in Seoul, South Korea conducting interviews and archival research that will contribute to her doctoral dissertation. Her project investigates the role of state-imposed cultural change on popular attitudes and regime stability in both colonial Korea under the Japanese and in the post-1948 divided Korea.

Lilly Taing will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Humanity, with minors in International Health, Development and Social Change and Health Care Studies. Lilly won a Fulbright research grant to Sweden to explore the effects of estrogen on the neurobiological regulation of food reward behavior in order to better understand obesity.

2016 Fulbright US-UK Summer Institute

Kenneth Lee won the Fulbright-SOAS, University of London Summer Institute award as a sophomore. He is majoring in both East Asian Area Studies and International Relations and the Global Economy. Kenneth is a USC Trustee Scholar and part of the Thematic Option program. This will be his first time in London learning about English culture and history which will help inform his studies in international relations.

2016 Gilman Scholarship Recipients

The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad for U.S. who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university. The program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go.

Spring 2016

Stephanie Jean – Major: Psychology, Country: Ireland
Erik Estrada – Major: Public Relations, Country: United Kingdom
Lucy Zhang – Major: Communication, Country: Brazil
Nicky Ciprian – Major: Cinematic Arts Critical Studies, Country: Czech Republic
Nadia Triestanto – Major: Economics, Country: South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan
Jessica Magana-Sandoval – Major: American Studies and Ethnicity, Country: Brazil
Jennifer Orozco – Major: American Studies and Ethnicity (Chicano/Latino Studies), Country: South Africa
James Toh – Major: Health and Humanity, Country: South Africa
Rachel Essel – Major: Economics and Russian, Country: Russia
Jannet Park – Major: Public Relations, Country: United Kingdom
Cristian Pagan – Major: Theatre, Country: United Kingdom

Summer 2016

Margaret Harris – Major: East Asian Area Studies, Country: Japan
Lida Dianti – Major: International Relations Country: Jordan

Fall 2016 & Academic Year 2016-2017

Claudia Buccio – Major: Communication, Country: United Kingdom
David Lee – Major: International Relations, Country: Kazakhstan
Moira Turner – Major: Anthropology, Country: South Africa

2016 Goldwater Scholarship Recipients

Barry Goldwater Scholarships are awarded to outstanding undergraduates who are studying mathematicians, natural sciences or engineering and who intend to pursue a research career.

Richelle Smith is a current junior studying Electrical Engineering. She has conducted research at USC’s Optical Materials and Devices Lab, Stanford’s Brains in Silicon Lab and USC’s Computational Oncology Lab. She has served as the Engineering Honors Colloquium Moderator, USC Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) Vice Chair and Treasurer and is a starter on the USC Horse Polo team. Richelle is dedicated to working on intellectually stimulating problems in electrophysics science and technology, and developing novel circuits and devices to improve the lives of people affected by disease or disability. Richelle’s career goals include obtaining a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, conducting research on integrated circuits and teaching at a research university.

2016 Humanity in Action Fellowship Recipients

The Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of college students and recent university graduates to explore different national histories of discrimination and resistance to injustice, as well as examples of contemporary issues affecting minority groups. Fellows participate in month-long fellowships programs in one of five European cities.

Georgia Soares is an English (Creative Writing) major with minors in both French and Comparative Literature. Originally from Brazil, Georgia’s first language is Portuguese. She elected to study abroad in France as an undergraduate to hone her French language skills. Georgia is also a Posse Scholar and plans to explore Brazilian, American and French literature comparatively in graduate school. As a recipient of the Humanity in Action Fellowship program in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia will spend six weeks abroad immersed in a highly interdisciplinary program that features daily lectures and discussions with renowned academics, journalists, politicians and activists, as well as site visits to government agencies, non-profit and community organizations, museums and memorials. In its inaugural year, the newest Fellowship program in Bosnia and Herzegovina seeks to highlight different models of action to remedy injustice.

2016 Marshall Scholars

The prestigious Marshall Scholarships fund up to 40 scholars each year to study at graduate level at an UK institution in any field of study. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. In 2016, 32 Marshall Scholars were selected and two are USC Trojans!

Moriah Mulroe is pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in both Biochemistry and Geological Sciences. From a pool of nearly 50,000 applicants to USC, Moriah was selected as one of only nineteen USC Mork Family Scholars, USC’s highest merit scholarship. Moriah is a skilled scientific researcher and has been selected to receive multiple research fellowships during her undergraduate career. She was named Biology Student of the Year and has been a Research Fellow for USC WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) for the last three years. Moriah is also very involved with her local community, serving in a local homeless shelter every weekend. Moriah will spend a year exploring interdisciplinary approaches to studying water resources issues at Queen Mary University of London and a second year studying Geochemistry. In the future, Moriah sees herself working for the government in the area of natural disaster management or for a non-governmental organization.

Anu Ramachandran ’13 graduated from USC with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Neuroscience and Philosophy. While at USC, Anu was involved with the Thematic Option program, founded USC’s chapter of GlobeMed, an organization that pairs students with grassroots NGOs around the world, and a member of the USC Helenes. Anu was awarded the Steven & Kathryn Sample Renaissance Scholar and Global Scholar honor distinctions upon graduation, and named one of only ten Global Scholar Prize Winners in 2013. Now, in her third year of medical school at Johns Hopkins University, Anu has served as director of the student-run Refugee Health Partners organization which works with the International Rescue Committee of Baltimore to aid newly arrived refugees with chronic an complex medical issues. Anu will spend a year in the UK at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she plans to conduct research in the Public Health in Humanitarian Crisis Group. Ultimately, Anu hopes to supplement her clinical background with a bigger picture of advocacy research.

USC also recognizes the achievements of senior Georgia Soares and alumnus Travis Glynn ’13, both Marshall Scholarship finalists within the top 15 percent of nearly 1,000 applicants this year. Originally from Brazil, Soares is majoring in English with a focus on creative writing. She plans to pursue graduate study and a career contributing to Brazilian literature. Glynn, a Truman Scholar and Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, graduated from USC Dornsife with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and now works as a special advisor at the U.S. Department of State.

2016 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Awardees & Honorable Mentions

Awardees

Jessica Chen – Life Sciences – Neurosciences
Vanessa Knutson – Life Sciences – Systematics & Biodiversity
Eshed Margalit –Psychology – Cognitive Neuroscience
Joshua Faskowitz – Psychology – Developmental
Ryan McGee – Life Sciences – Evolutionary Biology
Christopher Sandino – Engineering – Biomedical
Gurmukh (Gumi) Sethi – Engineering – Materials
Christina Zdawczyk – STEM Education and Learning Research – Technology Education

Honorable Mentions

Jaime Castrellon – Psychology – Cognitive Neurosciences
Christopher Larson – Engineering – Biomedical
Promise McEntire – Social Sciences – Linguistic Anthropology
Meaghan Sullivan – Life Sciences – Biochemistry

2016 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship For New Americans

Every year, The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans supports thirty New Americans, immigrants or the children of immigrants, who are pursuing graduate school in the United States. They will each receive up to $90,000 in funding for the graduate program of their choice. The Fellows were selected for their potential to make significant contributions to US society, culture, or their academic field, and were selected from a pool of 1,443 applicants. With a two percent acceptance rate, it was the most competitive year in the Fellowship’s history.

Leen Katrib, Syrian and Lebanese, March at Princeton