This year, Queens College students have done extremely well in competitions for major national awards. With a range of disciplines and experiences, our students have been awarded fellowships to teach, research, or pursue graduate degrees. Read on to learn more about the excellent work done by our students and to consider how you might apply for one of these awards yourself!
The U.S. Student Fulbright program offers a wide range of opportunities for academic and cultural exchange. Students can spend a year overseas teaching English, doing independent research, earning a Master’s degree or honing their artistic craft. Seven Queens College students, Eric Becker, Carlsky Belizaire (Macaulay Honors College), Alyssa Blumenthal (Macaulay Honors College), Karissa Caputo (Macaulay honors College), Sarah Chung, Kathryn Cox (Macaulay Honors College) and Carla Spensieri, have won this prestigious award this year. They will be going to Sweden, Brazil, Taiwan, Cyprus, and South Korea. If there’s a country you’ve always wanted to visit or return to after your study abroad, or if there’s a project you’d like to pursue, if only you had the time, why not visit the Fulbright website to explore how to make your dream a reality.
This year, Isaac Deonarine and Sarah Franco (Macaulay Honors College) have won the prestigious J. K. Watson fellowship. This award provides three Summer internships, one of them abroad, and opportunities for cultural and professional growth throughout the three years of the program. The fellowship is designed to be a transformative experience which encourages students to move outside their comfort zone and helps them develop their leadership potential. If this broadening experience sounds like something you are looking for, please check out their website for more information and to read about what current and recent fellows are doing.
If public policy is your passion, explore the New York City Urban Fellows program. This allows recent college graduates to spend a year working in a New York City agency, giving them the opportunity to work on issues they care about and the chance to improve the lives of New Yorkers. Queens College and Macaulay Honors College students Lauren Blachorsky and Carlsky Belizaire were finalists this year.
For the first time this year, Queens College students were able to apply for the APIASF/AANAPISI scholarship offered to students at partner institutions of the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF). Thirteen of our students, Shankar Ghimire, Gul Jannat, Norman Joeng, Kuljit Kaur, Simrat Kaur, Catherine Kim, Brandon Lau, Shuai Li, Liang Lin, James Marone, Cindy Yam, Macaulay Honors student Jiemin Yang and Haizhen Yuan were awarded this scholarship for their academic achievement and community service. In addition to receiving financial assistance for their Queens College education, they will be able to take advantage of mentoring and professional development opportunities available through the APIASF. Check out their website to learn more about this and other scholarships.
Our students have also been commended for their scientific research. The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program funds graduate study in the STEM fields, and Davneet Kaur earned an honorable mention in this year’s competition. Tamar Lichter (Macaulay Honors College) also earned an honorable mention from The Barry M. Goldwater fellowship, which provides scholarships to sophomores or juniors interested in pursuing a research career.
Congratulations to all our winners! Following the example of Andrew Goodman, recipient of an honorary doctorate at this year’s commencement, Queens College students are making the world a better place for future generations. These are only some of the ways our students are being recognized for their achievements. Check out the links in this post, and consider applying for these or other opportunities; we’d all love to know of the good work you are doing! feel free to contact me to discuss these and other possibilities you might be interested in, and visit this blog regularly to learn about fellowships and application assistance available at the college. I look forward to celebrating your achievements next year!
