Michael Norton, an alumnus of the honors college at the University of Arkansas, has won a Marshall Scholarship to study political science at Oxford University. Norton also earned a Truman Scholarship in 2012, and he is going to interview for a Rhodes Scholarship in the near future. New rules allow winners of the Marshall to go forward with other interviews.
Already in an elite group for having won a Marshall and a Truman scholarship, Norton would be in super-elite company if he were to add a Rhodes Scholarship.
UA senior Rachael Pelligrino will also interview for a Rhodes Scholarship. In addition, she is a finalist for a Truman Scholarship.
Norton will become the 7th UA winner of a Marshall Scholarship. The scholarships provide full funding for academic and living expenses for two years of study at any university in the United Kingdom. Most winners choose Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, King’s College of London, the London School of Economics, or Imperial College of London.
Norton told the Arkansas Traveler that the UofA Office of Nationally Competitive Awards was central to the development of his successful application.
“The office is a great treasure of the university when it comes to these awards,” he said. Suzanne McCray of that office is known for her mock “interviews.”
The Marshall Scholarship was established in 1953. It awards up to 40 American students each year. For the 2013 year, 943 students applied for the scholarship and 34 were selected.
We now have a complete list of the 2013 winners of the Marshall Scholarships, which fund two years of graduate study at any university in the United Kingdom.
Up to 40 Marshall Scholarships are awarded each year to students at U.S. universities, but this year only 34 scholars were selected. Below are the 34 students and the 31 universities they represent:
Abilene Christian University–Brittany Partridge, a political science major and founder of the Red Thread Movement, which raises awareness of modern-day slavery and works to save Nepalese girls from the sex trafficking, will study at University College, London. The Red Thread Movement has supporters at about 75 campuses across the nation. She also won a Truman Scholarship this year.
Air Force Academy–Ian Gibson, also a Truman Scholar, will study political science at the London School of Economics.
Boston College–Aditya Ashok was a winner of the Truman Scholarship in 2011; he majored in history and biology and will study global health at the University of Glasgow.
Brandeis–Elizabeth Stoker, a graduate in theology and Christian ethics, will study philosophy at Oxford.
Brown–Nick Werle, a 2010 graduate in physics and modern philosophy, will work on master’s degrees at University College, London, and the London School of Economics.
Colorado State–Christopher Counts, a student in the honors program with majors in biomedical sciences and anthropology, will study at University College, London. He is the founder of Hygiene for Humanity.
Columbia–Dylan Liu, an engineering major, will study theoretical physics at Oxford.
UConn–Ethan Butler, a chemical engineering graduate and previous winner of a Udall award, will study at Imperial College, London.
CUNY John Jay College for Criminal Justice–Nicolas Montano, a senior in CUNY’s Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies Program at John Jay College, will pursue two master’s degrees–one in research in the social sciences at the University Liverpool and the other in criminal justice policy at the London School of Economics.
Duke–Kenneth Hoehn, a biology major with minors in computational biology and bioinformatics, will study at Oxford.
Georgetown (2)–Shea Houlihan, an international politics major, will study social research methods and international migration at the University of Sussex. Benjamin Buchanan graduated in 2011 with a degree in government and minors in Arabic and English, will pursue either a doctorate in war studies from King’s College, London, or a doctorate in information communication and the social sciences at Oxford.
George Washington–Stephanie Figgins, who graduated in 2011 with a degree in economics and international affairs, will study post-colonial culture and global politics at the University of London; she has been a journalist with the Voice of America in Cairo.
Georgia Tech–Jacob Tzegaebe, pursuing a five-year BS/MS degree in civil engineering, will work on a doctorate in the same field at University College, London. He has also earned an NSF grant and was a finalist for a Rhodes Scholarship.
Harvard (2)–Aditya Balasubramanium will study political science at the London School of Economics, and Alex Palmer will study at King’s College, London.
Illinois–Jonathan Naber, a 2011 graduate in materials science and engineering, designed prosthetic prototypes and established a non-profit organization to provide low-cost prosthetic devices to amputees in the developing world. Jonathan will pursue a degree at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is now working in Guatemala on a project to make the devices out of native materials.
Michigan–Spencer Smith graduated in 2011 with degrees in economics and math and will study economics at Oxford.
Montana State–Bryan Vadheim, a member of the University Honors Program, is MSU’s first Marshall Scholar. He will study at the London School of Economics and King’s College, London. His interests are water science and governance. Montana State also produced a Rhodes Scholar this year: Joe Thiel, who will study engineering at Oxford.
Naval Academy (2)–Katelyn Davidson, and English major, will work on an M.A. in gender and equality at Queen’s University in Belfast and an M.A. in international peace and security at Kings College, London. Ronald Allen, an economics major, will study public policy at Kings College, London. The Naval Academy also had two Rhodes Scholars this year.
Northwestern–Jennifer Mills, a triple major in earth and planetary science, integrated sciences, and chemistry, also has a minor in physics. She is part of the university’s highly-selective integrated sciences program. Already the author of two scientific articles, she will study and integrated science, she will study climate science at Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh.
NYU–Jessica Mason, a social work graduate, will study global policy at the London School of Economics and work on an MSc. at Oxford.
Ohio University–Keith Hawkins, already a Goldwater Scholar, studied astrophysics, math, and African studies in the university’s Honors Tutorial College. He is doing research now at the University of Hawaii and previously did research at Caltech. He will continue his studies at Cambridge.
Ohio State–Alexander Chaitoff, a Truman Scholarship winner in 2012, will complete an MPH at the University of Sheffield.
Oklahoma–Jerod Coker, a senior economics major, will pursue a master’s degree in economics and philosophy at the London School of Economics, after which he plans to obtain a JD/MBA from Harvard. OU student Mubeen Shakir, a biochemistry major, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship this year.
Pitt–Paras Minhas, a microbiology major and student in the honors college, will work on a Ph.D. at University College, London.
Princeton–Jake Nebel, a philosophy student, will work on an M.A. at Oxford.
Rice–Rahul Rekhi, a bioengineering major, will study biology and bioinformatics at Oxford. He has also won both Truman and Goldwater awards.
USC–Alexander Fullman, a political science major, will continue his studies in that field at Oxford.
UT Austin–William Berdanier, a Dean’s Scholar honors student in physics and math, has also won a Goldwater Scholarship. His undergraduate research has focused in part on developing fusion energy. He will study at Cambridge.
Virginia–Hillary Hurd was a Jefferson Scholar at UVA and majored in Russian and East European Studies. She will concentrate on international studies at Cambridge and at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Washington U St. Louis–Alexander Baron, also a Luce Scholar, has majors in philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and political science. He will pursue graduate studies at Oxford.
Wesleyan–Zully Adler, a history grad in 2011, will study art history and print culture at Oxford.