Five Nominated as Rhodes, Marshall Scholars
Five outstanding undergraduates at Texas A&M were nominated for this year’s Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, the two most prestigious and highly-coveted academic scholarships available to United States students. Rhodes Scholarships are tenable for two to three years of graduate study at Oxford University; the Marshall Scholarship is tenable for two years of study at any university in the United Kingdom. Students nominated by the university are among the top students in the nation and inlcude Anna Lee Allcorn ‘10, of Olton, Texas, who received a nomination for the Rhodes Scholarship. She will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, having completed her undergraduate studies in only two years. A highly active student leader, Allcorn is co-chair of the College of Agriculture & Life Science’s Freshman Leadership Experience and a member of AggieREPS. Having owned and operated her own cattle operation since the age of 13, Allcorn envisions a career in international development. Nominated for the Marshall Scholarship, Mark Deimund ‘10 is a chemical engineering major from Oklahoma City. The president of Texas A&M’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers chapter, his recent research on biomass processing has garnered him a patent, and his current research involves systems biology in liver cells. He is also an avid strength trainer and enjoys classical literature. He will also be applying for the Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship and the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship. Ella Doerge ‘10, a genetics major from Clive, Iowa, was nominated for both the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships. A member of the Texas A&M Women’s Swimming & Diving team, she is a First Team Academic All-Big XII selection and ranks in the Texas A&M all-time top 10 times in five different events. This past summer, she qualified for the US National Championships and World Championship Trials. An Honors Programs University Scholar, Doerge was also the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and she is the co-founder of WorldMed, a student organization that organizes international medical missions. Her long term interests are to attend medical school and study prenatal genetics. Paige Ibanez ‘10, of The Woodlands, Texas, nominated for the Marshall Scholarship, is a double-major in English and history with a minor in Russian. The co-founder of the Texas A&M chapter of International Justice Mission, she is also president of her sorority, Delta Gamma. As a University Undergraduate Research Fellow, she traveled to Moscow to conduct research on Soviet-era drama, and she is currently researching presidential rhetoric as a Center for the Study of the Presidency Presidential Fellow. In the next phase of her educational career, she hopes to study the interplay of art and culture. Karthik Venkatraj ‘10, of College Station, was nominated for both the Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships. An international studies major, Venkatraj is a member of the Corps of Cadets, having served as Corps Liaison Officer and Public Relations Sergeant. He is a member of Army ROTC and the Army National Guard and will commission as a second lieutenant in the US Army National Guard Corps of Engineers. He was the student director of the Hurricane Ike relief effort on campus, a former Student Body President candidate, and currently serves as the student representative on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He has studied Arabic in Morocco as an NSEP David L. Boren Scholar, and he was selected as a Truman Scholarship finalist. Venkatraj is also applying for the George Mitchell Scholarship for study in Ireland. Texas A&M University has produced seven Rhodes Scholars and four Marshall Scholars, the most recent being Rhodes Scholar Nick Anthis in 2005 and Marshall Scholar Faye Hays in 2007. In the 2009 competition, biochemistry major Matthew Hickey ’09 was a finalist for the Marshall, and in the 2008 competition, math major Andrew Matteson was a finalist for the Rhodes. The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death
of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to the University of Oxford. The primary qualification for a successful candidate is intellectual distinction, although the selection committees also seek excellence in qualities of mind and in qualities of person which, in combination, offer the promise of effective service to the world in the decades ahead. Through the years, Rhodes Scholars have pursued studies in all of the varied fields available at the University of Oxford, where they are elected for two years of study, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. Notable Rhodes Scholars include former US President Bill Clinton, NBA Hall-of-Fame inductee and Senator Bill Bradley, and Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee Kris Kristofferson. The Marshall Scholarships began in 1953 as a gesture of thanks from the British Government for the US assistance in rebuilding Europe after World War II. Former Marshall Scholars include Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and New York Times Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman. According to the Marshall Scholarship Foundation, as future leaders, Marshall Scholars are “expected to strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programmes contributes to their ultimate personal success.” Because of the fierce competition for these scholarships, the preliminary process to be selected as an official University nominee is quite rigorous. Currently enrolled students and recent graduates should apply for selection in April, with the official deadline for the scholarships being in early October. To be awarded the University’s nomination, a student must show strong scholarly potential, demonstrated through their academic record and letters of recommendation from faculty, leadership ability, demonstrated through their involvement in student and civic organizations, and excellent speaking and analytical skills, as demonstrated in a series of interviews. For more information, contact Kyle Mox, National Scholarships Coordinator in the Honors Programs office – (979) 845-1957 or kemox@tamu.edu.