Guest blog by Ann Reinking: Political, Press & Public Affairs, British Consulate-General, New York
As September begins and university students make their way back to campus for the start of the semester, I’m reminded that we’re gearing up for this year’s Marshall Scholarship candidates.
The Marshall Scholarship, named in honour of US Secretary of State George C Marshall, was established in 1953 to strengthen and reflect the enduring relationship between British and American people and institutions. The scholarship finances exceptional young American graduates to study in the United Kingdom.
I help to facilitate the application process for the New York region by liaising between the Regional Selection Committee, university advisers and the Marshall candidates.
One of my favourite parts of being involved with the scholarship programme is interacting with the students and learning about their diverse and impressive backgrounds. I often wonder where the students find the time to accomplish so much!
The application and selection process is rigorous so it’s quite an honour to receive a Marshall Scholarship. The New York Selection Committee spends hours and hours selecting a group of finalists for interviews and then selecting from those who will be offered scholarships.
The New York Region 2010 scholars are studying a variety of disciplines ranging from Music Composition to Chemistry. One scholar Joshua Bennett graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in English and African Studies and minors in History and Spanish. Mr. Bennett is a performance poet, and he was invited to perform one of his poems for President Obama at the White House Poetry Jam, which was aired by HBO. With a background in public performance, he decided to pursue a Theatre Studies programme at Warwick on his Marshall Scholarship.
Another 2010 scholar Jessica Lanney crafted post-Katrina economic development programmes in New Orleans and worked on affordable housing interventions for homeless patients at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Ms. Lanney is attending the London School of Economics and Political Science to continue her Social Policy and Urban Planning studies.
As you can see, Marshall Scholarships help students to further their studies and experiences across varied disciplines. Other 2010 New York Region scholars include: Michael Campbell from the United States Naval Academy who will study Conflict, Security and Development at King’s College, London; William Dougherty from Temple University who is continuing his Music Composition studies with an Integrated Masters in Composition at the Royal College of Music; and Yale University Graduate James Luccarelli who will study Chemistry at Oxford.
As our 2010 Scholars are about meet in DC before heading off to their prospective universities in the UK, I’m excited to receive applications for the 2011 candidates in October!
To learn more about the Marshall Scholarship, visit. http://www.marshallscholarship.org/about/
