Honoring Students’ Academic Achievement and Commitment to Service

Posted on May 22, 2014 by megan

On Monday, May 19th, the Office of Honors and Scholarships held a reception to honor this year’s winners of the Linakis Leaders Scholarship.  The scholarship honors the exceptional community service work of John S. and Yorka C. Linakis, long-time residents and avid supporters of the Borough of Queens. They were active in a multitude of community, civic, and interfaith organizations. Their philanthropic endeavors include a legacy of scholarships to be granted to worthy Queens College students based on merit, financial need, and a keen interest in the betterment of their communities.  This year’s 18 winners are drawn from a wide range of majors and demonstrate outstanding records of both service and academic performance.  Each is receiving an award in the amount of $2,000 in recognition of their exceptional achievements. Continue reading →

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Announcing Major Fellowship Winners

Posted on May 14, 2014 by megan

On Monday, May 12th, the Office of Honors and Scholarships held a reception celebrating the achievements of Queens College students who won national awards this year.  Winners came from a number of disciplines, and their awards fund a range of activities from teaching, to study and research to internships with businesses and nonprofits.  In his remarks to the gathering, President Gizis commended the students’ outstanding achievements and praised their faculty mentors for providing invaluable support and guidance.  President Gizis wished the students every success in their future endeavors, and urged those who are graduating to stay connected with Queens College.  It was a pleasure to hear from the honorees about their fascinating work and exciting future plans.  Many echoed President Gizis’s sentiments by thanking their faculty advisors as well as those from the Honors and Scholarships department and the Macaulay Honors College for advice and guidance on particular applications and throughout their college careers.

Queens College students have won a number of the most prestigious teaching awards this year.  Three Macaulay Honors College at Queens College students, Patryk Perkowski, Karla Padawer Solomon and Chloe Weiser all won Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships which allow students to teach English abroad and participate in cultural exchanges for a year.  Sandra Lau, also a Macaulay at Queens student  will be heading to Japan to teach English there next year through the JET Program sponsored by the Japanese government.  Teach For America places students in under-resourced public schools and Macaulay Honors at Queens College students Jill Greenberg and Paramjoat Singh, and Queens College student Nicole Wong all won this prestigious honor.  Grace Prestamo (also of Macaulay Honors College and Queens College) has earned a place in New York City’s Teaching Fellows program, which enables students to combine public school teaching with earning a Master’s degree.

A number of Macaulay Honors College at Queens College students have also won major awards recognizing excellence in the sciences.  Lauren Blachorsky won the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship, which commends excellence in scientific research and funds students’ junior and/or senior years in college.  Daniel Stalbow is one of this year’s Jonas E. Salk Scholarship winners.  Named in honor of the inventor of the first anti-polio vaccine and City College graduate, this scholarship provides funding for advanced degrees to students who will make significant contributions to medical research.  Marianna Lamnina earned an honorable mention in the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which recognizes outstanding graduate students, or those entering graduate school, in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

As well as the teaching awards, Queens College is well-represented among winners of fellowships funding other kinds of international experiences.  Rui Yan Ma, of the Macaulay Honors College at Queens College,  is a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship, which allows college students to study or intern abroad.  The Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship awards students three summer internships, (one of them abroad) designed to further students’ career goals and Queens College’s Anita Torossian will be beginning her Watson fellowship this summer.

Congratulations to all the winners on their excellent work and wonderful achievements!  Winning national fellowships helps build your resume and can help you pay for college or graduate school.  If you’re considering applying for some of these awards, remember that you have lots of support available from your professors and from me and others here in Honors and Scholarships.  Feel free to get in touch to talk about your options, and please check this blog regularly for news of fellowship competitions and for information to help with your applications.  I look forward to celebrating with many of you this time next year!

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Marshall Scholarships: Furthering the “Special Relationship”

Posted on May 12, 2014 by megan

The Marshall scholarship allows academically high-achieving U.S. students to pursue graduate study in any field at any university in Britain.  The scholarships were established in the aftermath of World War II to honor the wartime partnership between the United States and Britain.  “[N]amed in honour of US Secretary of State George C Marshall, the Scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan and they express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts.” This year’s 60th anniversary celebrations include a reception at which His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales awarded Marshall Medals to previous scholarship winners and Marshall Commission officials.  You can join the celebration of this important anniversary through some photos of the reception.  Anne Applebaum, one of this year’s Marshall Medal recipients is a columnist for the Washington Post and Slate and a former Marshall scholar.  She described the program as “… truly one of the best-kept successes of British diplomacy: Every year, several dozen talented young Americans come to Britain to study – and all of them will eventually return home with a deeper understanding of the UK. Many will continue to promote the British-American relationship for the rest of their lives.”

Queens College students have won the Marshall in the past; why not consider applying to be one of the college’s future winners!  The campus application deadline is in early September.  Please review the application requirements, other helpful resources and guidance on the scholarship website and contact me or Dr. Ross Wheeler (ross.wheeler@qc.cuny.edu) for assistance.

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Fulbright Fellowship: a Wonderful Opportunity for Educating the Whole Person

Posted on May 8, 2014 by megan

 

If you would like to spend a year abroad pursuing academic interests or career goals while being immersed in another country and culture, then the Fulbright program might be for you!  The annual competition for Fulbright grants has begun, with applications due at Queens College by early September.  The Fulbright offers U.S. students the opportunity to study, research, work in the creative arts or teach English abroad for a year after college.  Former Fulbrighters describe their experience as invaluable in furthering their academic careers, establishing life-long connections with new friends and colleagues, and opening doors they’d never thought of.

The program requires high academic achievement, a clearly-articulated and feasible plan for using the grant and a commitment to cross-cultural exchange.  For further information, please visit the program’s website (linked above) and contact me or Dr. Ross Wheeler at ross.wheeler@qc.cuny.edu.

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Fellowships for Graduate Study in Britain and Ireland

Posted on May 1, 2014 by megan

If you would like to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom or Ireland, please consider attending AN information session on four prestigious national scholarships on Wednesday, May 7th in Honors Hall Room 17 from 12:15 to 1:30.  Come lern about the following scholarships:

 

Rhodes Scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarship provides full financial support for Rhodes Scholars to pursue a degree or degrees at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. At the time of application, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, at least 18 but not yet 24 years old, and on track to receive a bachelor’s degree by October 1st of the year following application.

 

British Marshall Scholarship

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to forty Scholars are selected each year to study at the graduate level at a UK institution of their choice in any field of study. At the time of application, applicants must be citizens of the United States, maintain a 3.7 GPA, and be on track to receive their bachelor’s degree by the time they receive their scholarship (September 2015 for the current cycle).

 

The George J Mitchell Scholarship

The Mitchell Scholarship Program supports one year of graduate study in any discipline offered by an institution of higher learning in Ireland or Northern Ireland. The Mitchell Scholarship Program provides tuition, housing, a cash stipend for living expenses, and an international travel stipend. Candidates for the Mitchell Scholarship must be citizens of the United States, at least 18 but not yet 30 years old, and on track to receive their bachelor’s degree before beginning study as a Mitchell Scholar.

 

Gates Cambridge Trust

The Trust looks for students of exceptional academic achievement and scholarly promise for whom advanced study at Cambridge would be particularly appropriate. Successful applicants will have the ability to make a significant contribution to their discipline while in Cambridge, with a strong aptitude for research, analysis and a creative approach to defining and solving problems.  The Scholarship covers tuition, provides a living stipend, airfare and other benefits.

 

I look forward to meeting you at the information session on May 7th and to discussing these great opportunities for graduate study abroad with you individually.

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Two Fellowships for Science Students

Posted on April 29, 2014 by megan

All are invited to attend an information session about two scholarships, one undergraduate and one graduate, for students planning on pursuing a research career in science:

Barry M Goldwater

The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious undergraduate award for students pursuing scientific research.

The scholarship provides up to $8,000 in educational support through a student’s senior year. The actual cash value of the award, however, is of secondary importance. The Goldwater provides a nationally recognized credential substantiating the strength and rigor of the student’s undergraduate work. Perhaps as importantly, major research institutions recruit from the Goldwater recipient list.

Eligibility: Students must be U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents. Sophomores and Juniors only are eligible to apply. Students must plan to pursue research-based graduate studies. Students studying medicine are not eligible unless they plan to pursue an MD/PhD.

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are, or will be, pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.

The scholarship provides a three-year annual stipend of $30,000 along with a $10,500 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.

Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent resident aliens, and at or near the beginning of their graduate studies.

If you might be interested in applying for one of these awards, please attend the information session on Monday, May 5th from 12:15 to 1:30 in Honors Hall Room 12.

For further information or if you have questions, please contact
Dr. Ross Wheeler
Director of Honors at Queens College
Email: ross.wheeler@qc.cuny.edu or Dr. Moira Egan, National Fellowships Advisor at moira.egan@qc.cuny.edu.

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Welcome

Posted on April 8, 2014 by megan

Welcome to the blog of the National Fellowships office at Queens College.  Please check back here regularly for news of upcoming fellowship deadlines, announcements of information sessions for particular fellowships, and guidance on aspects of applications.  In addition to this blog, I am available to make individual appointments with any Queens College student to discuss fellowship opportunities and assist you with specific applications.  Please fel free to contact me with any questions or suggetions you might have for this blog.

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