Students Earn Prestigious Fellowships and Scholarships

By Bill Landauer

A chance to study alternative energy and biotechnology at a research university. A summer job with a political action committee in Washington, D.C. A yearlong stint at a college in Beijing.

Lafayette students grabbed big opportunities this past school year, notching some of the nation’s most prestigious fellowships, scholarships, and other honors.

Barry Goldwater Scholarship

The Goldwater Scholarship helps defray tuition costs for student scientists, mathematicians, and engineers who intend to pursue research careers. It’s considered the most prestigious award of its type.

Patrick Leggieri ’18 (chemical engineering, East Stroudsburg, Pa.) won a Goldwater Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering or bioengineering and conduct research integrating alternative energy and biotechnology while teaching as a professor at a research university.

Travis Shoemaker ’18 (civil engineering, Allentown, Pa.) won a Goldwater Scholarship to conduct research in civil engineering and obtain his professional engineering license.

Truman Scholarship

The Truman Scholarship supports undergraduates with outstanding leadership potential who plan to attend graduate school in preparation for a career in government or elsewhere in public service. Additionally, scholars are invited to participate in leadership and professional development programs, summer institutes, the yearlong Truman Fellows Program in Washington, D.C., career and graduate school counseling, and internship placement and employment with the federal government.

Sara Hayet ’18 (women and gender studies, Ocean, N.J.) was a finalist for a Truman Scholarship. This summer, she is working for Emily’s List, a political action committee that works to bring pro-choice Democratic candidates to office.

Fulbright Student Grants

The Fulbright program is designed to give students, young professionals, and artists opportunities for intellectual, academic, professional, and artistic development and growth along with international experience. Grant support may vary slightly between countries; typically, however, the U.S. Student Grants provide one year of funding for travel, tuition and fees/research allowance, health and accident insurance, and a stipend for living expenses.

Kofi Boateng ’16 (global health studies, Bronx, N.Y.) was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in India.

Katherine Cedillos ’17 (international affairs and anthropology & sociology, Gaithersburg, Md.) was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Colombia.

Sadie Lebow ’17 (English, Tempe, Ariz.) was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Greece.

Christine Carpenter ’17 (international affairs and French, Windham, N.H.) is an alternate for a study/research grant in the Netherlands.

Ian Morse ’17 (history and mathematics & economics, Nutley, N.J.) was awarded an English Teaching Assistantship in Indonesia.

Scott Kovacs ’17 (film and media studies, Tannersville, Pa.) is an alternate for a study/research grant in the U.K.

National Science Foundation-Graduate Research Fellowship Program

The fellowship helps pay for graduate study in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and social science disciplines.

Dustin Morris ’17 (geology and physics, Lewiston, Maine) will study geosciences and sedimentary geology at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

Sean McSherry ’17 (chemical engineering, Doylestown, Pa.) will study materials research-polymers and chemical engineering at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Stavros Kariofillis ’17 (biochemistry, Easton, Pa.) will study chemical catalysis and chemistry at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.

Cara Ann Abecunas ’17 (chemical engineering, Medfield, Mass.) received an honorable mention for biomedical engineering at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Schwarzman Scholars

Through the Schwarzman Scholars program, students live and study together on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly built, state-of-the-art facility in Beijing, where all classes are taught in English. Students at Schwarzman pursue master’s degrees in global affairs.

Stacey-Ann Pearson ’15 (civil and environmental engineering, Spanish Town, Jamaica) will participate in the one-year professional interdisciplinary program.

BBC 100 Women of 2016

The British Broadcasting Corp. named Erin McKenney ’20 (Londonderry, N.H.) to its BBC 100 Women of 2016. The news organization discovered McKenney after she created the Curiosity Science Program as part of earning a Girl Scout Gold Award in 2016. Her goal was to help young women build self-confidence and explore their interests through hands-on lab activities.

Amgen Scholars

Elena Esch ’18 (neuroscience, Bradford, Pa.) was named one of 20 Amgen Scholars for 2017. The summer research program is held at MIT.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship

Tessa Broholm ’17 (biology, Wellesley, Mass.) received an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for her two-year joint master’s degree program in tropical biodiversity and ecosystems.