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HONORS.UGA.EDU I chose to attend UGA because... The opportunities and support available through the Honors
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Program made UGA dominate
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every pro-con list I made when
Rhodes Scholarship:
making my decision of where to go to college. I was so impressed
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by everything I read and heard about Honors students. In addition
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to learning a lot in the classroom, they were out in the world doing incredible things like studying
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abroad, doing research, working
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in internships, serving their communities, and making impacts
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in meaningful ways. I wanted to be like them! Everything I based my decision on has held true, and I am
SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS
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convinced on a daily basis that I
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made the right choice.”
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– Mugdha Joshi ’16, biology and anthropology
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On the cover:
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Kerri Andre goes airborne. Read more about Kerri on page 28.
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JONAH DRIGGERS NAMED UDALL SCHOLAR
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ourth-year Honors student and Foundation Fellow Jonah Driggers was named a 2016 Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation Scholar. This scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding students nationwide who are pursuing careers related to environmental or Native American public policy. Jonah, from St. Simons, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in geography and a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in conservation ecology. He is the ninth UGA student to be awarded the Udall Scholarship in the past six years, all but one of whom were Honors students. He is one of 60 Udall Scholars selected this year from nearly 500 nominees. An avid outdoorsman, Jonah has taken many opportunities to explore his passion for environmental policy. Among other experiences, he is a founder and co-executive director of The Energy Concept, an organization that stimulates discussion of interdisciplinary energy strategies, and he served as an intern in the Office of Climate Preparedness at the White House Council on Environmental Quality through the Honors in Washington Internship Program. Jonah has participated in several research projects through CURO, both as a graduate student researcher at the UGA River Basin Center and in the lab of James Porter, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor of Ecology. Jonah is the head gardener for the Lunchbox Garden Project, a student-led organization, sponsored by the Honors Program, which aims to educate school children about gardening, nutrition, and environmental issues. Following graduation, Jonah plans to pursue a Juris Doctor and work as a policy leader to help the United States transition to clean energy.
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atherine “Cali” Callaway and Morrison Nolan, both of whom are fourth-year Foundation Fellows and Honors students, were awarded the 2016 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier academic award for undergraduate students across the nation who are pursuing careers in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering. The scholarship, which awards stipends of up to $7,500, recognizes exceptional sophomores and juniors. Since 1995, 51 UGA students have received this prestigious award. Cali is majoring in biology with a concentration in neuroscience and pursuing a concurrent master’s degree in artificial intelligence. She has her sights set on medical school, with plans to conduct research in
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regenerative bioscience. Through CURO, since her first days on campus Cali has worked with Steven Stice, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and director of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center. In addition, Cali participated in an intensive summer research experience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and interned at the Zurich, Switzerland-based Hocoma AG, the world’s largest producer of robotic rehabilitation devices, as well as at the Shepherd Center’s Spinal Cord Injury Lab in Atlanta. She serves as president of UGA MathCounts, a student organization sponsored by the Honors Program that mentors middle school students in mathematics skills. Cali is also the Blue Key Honor Society vice president and the president of the Honors Program Student Council.
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Morrison is majoring in geology and chemistry. He plans to pursue a doctorate in invertebrate paleontology on a path to a career featuring both teaching and researching as a professor or museum curator. Morrison has conducted research through CURO working with Sally Walker, a professor of geology and marine sciences. In addition, he participated in paleontology field studies of Cretaceous deposits in Hell Creek, Montana, through the University of Washington’s paleontological field methods course, and he interned at a fiber optic company through the Technology Association of Georgia. Morrison co-founded UGA’s Science Olympiad Outreach Club. He is also secretary of the UGA Geology Club, a student affiliate of the American Chemical Society, and a member of the Geological Society of America and the Georgia Mineral Society.
In addition to Cali and Morrison, UGA students Aneek James and Hannah Mason received Goldwater honorable mentions.
Aneek is majoring in electrical and electronics engineering. He plans to pursue a doctorate and become a researcher in the field of microwave photonics.
Hannah, an Honors student, is majoring in biochemistry, molecular biology, and Spanish. She plans to pursue an M.D./ Ph.D. focused on neuroscience and hopes to work at a research hospital.
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Carnegie Junior Research Fellow to study nuclear nonproliferation
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ert Thompson of Macon was named a 2016 Carnegie Junior Research Fellow, becoming one of just 14 scholars from across the nation to join the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a research assistant. A Foundation Fellow and Honors student, Bert graduated in May with a double major in international affairs and history. His Carnegie Fellowship will center on nuclear nonproliferation, a subject that was a constant during his coursework and experiential learning at UGA. Through CURO, Bert researched nuclear proliferation and other international issues. Supported by the Honors in Washington Internship Program, he worked as a research intern at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in the nation’s capital. Bert also studied at the Hertog War Studies Program; served as Representative Jack Kingston’s military legislative intern; worked at the Center for the Study of Global Issues in Verona, Italy; and studied in England at Oxford University through the UGA at Oxford Centre. On campus, he served as a Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Scholar at UGA’s Center for International Trade and Security. Dedicated to public service, Bert served as a Student Government Association executive cabinet member; a student advisory board member for the Office of the Vice President for Instruction; a student representative for the UGA Athletic Association Board of Directors; a member of the Arch Society; an assistant senior editor of Georgia Political Review; and an Honors Teaching Assistant.
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Valerie Tucker receives Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship
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onors student Valerie Tucker of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been awarded a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship for students interested in careers in the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service. The Pickering Fellowship program is administered by The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars and is funded by the U.S. Department of State. Valerie, who is majoring in international affairs and Spanish, is one of 10 undergraduates and 20 graduate students chosen from 160 colleges and universities for the program’s 23rd cohort. As a Pickering Fellow, Valerie will receive a scholarship of up to $37,500 annually to cover tuition and other expenses for her last year of undergraduate studies as well as for her first year in a master’s degree program.
While at UGA, Valerie has participated in various experiential learning opportunities. She recently completed a yearlong fellowship with the School of Public and International Affairs’ Center for International Trade and Security as a Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Scholar and has interned twice with TradeSecure LLC, a company that helps global businesses with issues such as export control, foreign investment, and trade policies. Valerie also completed an immersive study abroad program with UGA en España in Spain through the Honors International Scholars Program. Valerie is a member of the Redcoat Marching Band and served on the executive board of UGA HEROs, a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
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UGA BOREN SCHOLAR WILL STUDY WOLOF IN SENEGAL
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he Wolof language is spoken by more than 4 million people in the West African countries of Senegal and Gambia as well as the North African country of Mauritania. It will now be also spoken by fourth-year Honors student and Foundation Fellow Carver Goodhue, a recipient of a 2016 David L. Boren Scholarship to support language study abroad. During his Boren Scholarship experience in Senegal, Carver will study Wolof, French, international development, and public health through the National Security Education Program’s African Flagship Languages Initiative. In addition to his language studies, Carver will work with a public health non-governmental organization and, with the time he has left, train with a Senegalese wrestling team. “Wrestling is their international sport,” said Carver, who wrestled at Clarke Central High School in Athens. When Carver graduates in 2018 with degrees in romance languages and anthropology with a minor in biology, he plans to fulfill his yearlong Boren service requirement by working on public health projects in Senegal for either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.S. Agency for International Development. He then hopes to begin a dual Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degree program. One of the highlights of Carver’s overall undergraduate experience was a sojourn to France in 2015. “All the professors I have taken French with at UGA have been really excellent teachers, and I consider many of them to be mentors,” Carver said. “Thanks to the Foundation Fellowship, I was able to build on everything my French professors taught me by spending two months in France, during which I lived with French host families, took French classes in a language school in Montpelier, and worked on a cider farm in La Perche.” Locally, Carver has volunteered through U-Lead, a nonprofit organization providing academic counseling, tutoring, and scholarships to immigrant students in the Athens area. “It has been very rewarding for me, as someone from Athens, to work with students from this community and to see them succeed and obtain higher education despite significant challenges,” Carver said.
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ollowing their graduation this past May, Tyler Leigh and Kathleen Wilson are beginning their graduate studies this fall. When asked where their campus will be located, Tyler’s answer was, “Everywhere!” The Honors alumni do have a common starting point. Each heads first to Spain to begin Erasmus Mundus joint master’s degrees in education policies for global development at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Then their options broaden, following different routes to universities in Oslo, Amsterdam, and Malta, and internships offered throughout the world at different points in their twoyear programs. The Erasmus Mundus Scholarship is offered by the European Commission and is designed to promote cooperation between higher education institutions, contribute to the mutual enrichment of societies by developing student skills, and improve accessibility by enhancing higher education’s profile in Europe. A native of Alpharetta, Tyler conducted three semesters of undergraduate research on campus and in Tanzania. He presented his research on foreign aid’s effect on the development of democracy at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago and published in UGA’s Journal of Undergraduate Research Opportunities. In the summer of 2015, Tyler spent six weeks teaching in Tanzania through support from the Honors Program Parent Society. “In the school where I worked, everything was taught in English, which is the kids’ second or third language,” he said. “The impact this had on their comprehension of concepts really got me interested in how learning in another
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language impacts the economy and social movements. I started looking for ways to explore that, and I came across the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.” Tyler speaks French and Swahili, and he has been learning Spanish in preparation for Barcelona. He is also working on the basics of Norwegian for his time in Oslo. Following his studies in Europe, Tyler plans to move to San Antonio, Texas, to work for Teach for America, and he will eventually pursue a Ph.D. in international development. Kathleen, a Texas native, majored in economics, international affairs, and Arabic. She was a Ramsey Honors Scholar, a Mid-Term Foundation Fellow, and a 2015 recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Kathleen’s career plans include advancing women’s political, social, and economic rights through international development projects. Kathleen spent the last few months in Washington, D.C., as a Summer Fellow for the World Bank Inspection Panel. “Working at the World Bank, which is one of the largest actors in international development, gave me key insight into how international development projects are conceptualized and implemented,” Kathleen said. Her World Bank internship was the third time Kathleen has worked in Washington. As a UGA student, she interned at the Feminist Majority Foundation through the Honors in Washington Internship Program as well as at the Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom. “I am excited not only to study in a program that is directly in line with my academic interests but also to live and travel throughout Europe, and study with a diverse group of colleagues from more than ten different countries,” Kathleen said.
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ourth-year Honors student Erin Hollander focuses on basic science, which explains how fundamental systems work, as opposed to research focused on a specific disorder or disease. A Ramsey Scholar and Mid-Term Foundation Fellow, Erin is one of many UGA undergraduates who are helping to elevate the value of basic research. When she traveled to Washington, D.C., this past spring to be an invited basic science research presenter, Erin was a rarity in a room full of undergraduates studying translational research. As one of 60 students chosen to present about their individual projects for the 20th annual Posters on the Hill event held in Washington, D.C., in April, Erin served as “an advocate for basic research, to try to help the congressional representatives to understand why basic research is as important as something like cancer research,” she said. “From what I saw, most students there were engaged in translational research, such as cancer or Alzheimer’s or other areas that are very easy for legislators to see that, ‘yes, this is why we are funding them.’” Yet it was through basic research that the CRISPRCas system—an important new discovery that stands to revolutionize science—was originally revealed and studied. “A researcher thought it was notable that sometimes, when you infect a specific bacterium, it does not die,” Erin said. “Now we are uncovering how this insight has a vast amount of implications for gene editing and enhancing human health. All of these fantastically promising things would never have happened without basic research.” The Posters on the Hill program highlights exceptional undergraduate research by giving select students across the nation the opportunity to showcase their work and advocate for undergraduate research, both at an official public program and also during visits with key legislators and their staff members. Due to CURO, during the past decade UGA students have regularly been invited to participate in Posters on the Hill. Sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research, this annual event helps raise awareness of the high quality research that undergraduates pursue today, as well as the impact of this research on students’ professional preparation and the importance of continued investment in undergraduate research.
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Now a senior majoring in genetics with a minor in biochemistry, Erin studies mechanisms of adaptation in the CRISPR-Cas system. She analyzes how these genes, especially those that encode specific proteins, interact to protect bacteria, similar to how the immune system protects a human being. She works specifically with S. thermophilus, a bacterium used by the dairy industry
as a starter culture for foods like yogurt and Mozzarella cheese, as an undergraduate research assistant for Michael Terns, Distinguished Research Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Erin was a recipient of the 2015 Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate research scholarship in the nation. She continued her work in the Terns lab this past summer through a CURO Summer Fellowship. In addition, she has conducted research through the New York University Summer Undergraduate Research Program, and she interned in Germany through a scholarship from DAAD RISE, the German Academic Exchange Service Research Internships in Science and Engineering program. Even before she came
to UGA, as a high school student Erin participated in UGA’s Young Scholars Program in the labs of Wayne Parrott, a professor of plant breeding and genomics, and Steven Stice, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, both of whom are in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Erin is part of the leadership teams for Science Olympiad Outreach and Health for Kids at UGA, both of which she co-founded. She is currently working on her Honors thesis and is applying to M.D./Ph.D. programs. Erin plans to focus in the future on developing therapeutics for cancer or neurological disorders and is looking forward to working at “the intersection of basic science and medicine.”
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SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO H Mitchell Scholarship:
Rhodes Scholarship:
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Gates Cambridge Scholarship:
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The foundation of our first-year class is provided by Honors students, who are on par with an Ivy League student body.”
Marshall Scholarship:
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– Jere W. Morehead, President
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ast May and June, I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain, through the Honors International Scholars Program. As an accounting major, I have a goal to one day have the opportunity to work for a firm that has an international reach, and my time in Valencia gave me a real-life glimpse into what that looks and feels like. From interacting with the local people to conforming to new social norms, I learned more about the Spanish language and culture than I ever could have in a traditional classroom setting. Now, I cannot wait for the day when I can live and work abroad for a while. The best part of this summer was getting the chance to step out of my comfort zone and experience life from a different, yet exciting, perspective. I spent an incredible two months in Europe learning and growing with some of the best people I have ever met, who are new friends but were strangers to me just a few months ago.”
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– Kevin Coyne ’18, BA/MA in accounting, James H. Buck Honors International Scholar
Third-year Honors students Kevin Coyne and Christian Laurent sit in the press room of soccer stadium La Mestalla in Valencia, Spain.
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Students earn honors on the track and in the classroom
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efore Brooke Koblitz graduated last May, she and fellow Honors student Morgan Green had their time management skills honed as fulltime student athletes. The runners crossed paths daily, from practice at UGA’s Spec Towns Track to classes in the College of Education. Morgan, a fourth-year student from Roswell, came to UGA as both a student athlete and a CURO Honors Scholar majoring in exercise and sports science. From her first days on campus, she was researching under the direction of Cathleen Brown Crowell, an associate professor of kinesiology. Morgan’s research has focused on ankle instability and sprains. She presented her findings at both the 2015 and 2016 CURO Symposia, an event to showcase undergraduate research that is held each spring. This past year, Morgan earned the highest cumulative GPA on the track and field and cross country teams, and she
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earned spots on both the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll and the SEC Academic Honors Roll. Morgan has competed at the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track SEC championships. She is a representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the Team United Leadership team. Morgan also mentors young runners at the UGA Track and Field Camp. Brooke, from Alpharetta, graduated with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics education. While at UGA, she competed year round, with cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter, and outdoor track in the spring. Brooke was recognized as one of the top 10 UGA student athletes based on academic performance as a Caterpillar Student Athlete, and she made both the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll and the SEC Academic Honors Roll. She worked as a volunteer for the Special Olympics and was a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority. In addition to her studies and her student teaching at Clarke Central High School, Brooke tutored students at Clarke Middle School in mathematics through the UGA MathCounts tutoring organization, sponsored by the Honors Program. Brooke recently began her career as a math teacher at Nolensville High School in Tennessee.
Morgan Green (left) and Brooke Koblitz (right) working out at the UGA track.
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MY HONORS STORY
by Jesse Hu ’17
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entered UGA in 2013 as a biochemistry major with a pre-med intent. Since then, I have sought ways that I could best prepare for medical school while learning about public health, and I have found an enormous wealth of opportunities through which I have grown immensely on a personal basis. As a first-year student, I joined University Judiciary and have served as a justice for student Code of Conduct hearings for the last two years. Though not immediately relevant to medicine, my time with University Judiciary has helped me grow as a critical thinker and as a communicator. Also for the past two years I have worked as a resident assistant, learning how to lead my peers and effectively manage challenging situations. I am also a staff writer and editor for PreMed Magazine, a campus publication that covers a variety of topics about being a student studying and practicing medicine. I have been fortunate to enjoy great summer opportunities as well. In 2015, I interned at the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) under the direction of Susan Waltman, a UGA Foundation trustee, through the UGA Honors in New York Internship Program. GNYHA is a hospital trade association that sits at the intersection of public policy, hospital administration, politics, emergency preparedness, medicine, and law. As such, my assigned projects and breadth of involvement varied widely, allowing me to see many different aspects of healthcare, some of which I did not know even existed. This past year I also studied abroad in Tanzania through the Honors International Scholars Program and spent May working in orphanages, studying cross-cultural psychology, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. On campus, I have had the opportunity to pursue the other primary reason I want to be a doctor: my love of science, physiology, and problem solving. After I completed my internship at GNYHA this summer, I worked in Professor Michael Terns’ lab studying CRISPR-Cas with the support of the Honors Program as a CURO Summer Fellow. My research focused on better understanding how CRISPR works in its native state as an immune system. My time at UGA has also been incredibly fun! I have had the opportunity to play clarinet in a symphony orchestra, sing in a chorus, race for a club cycling team, and just hang out in the beautiful town of Athens. All along the way, I have met many friends and have had so many incredible mentors. I am incredibly thankful for my time at UGA and for the Honors Program. I am convinced that choosing to come to UGA was one of the best decisions of my life.”
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Susan Waltman, Executive Vice President for Legal, Regulatory and Professional Affairs, and General Counsel for the Greater New York Hospital Association, worked with fourth-year Honors students Trang Nguyen and Jesse Hu.
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Ten new CURO Honors Scholars
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he class of 2020 includes 10 new undergraduate students who have been awarded the CURO Honors Scholarship, the university’s top undergraduate research scholarship. The Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO), which is administered by the Honors Program, promotes up to four full years of research. Working closely with leading UGA faculty members, the CURO Scholars, who are enrolled in the Honors Program, will be able to conduct research in any field of study at the university. “The CURO Honors Scholars are impressive individuals with an array of research interests and abilities,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program. “Collectively, they form a vibrant community. It is a pleasure to know these wonderful students and to have the opportunity to work with them.” CURO Honors Scholars receive $3,000 in annual funding renewable for up to four years. They enjoy mentoring and personal support, and attend special seminars, workshops, events, and other activities. In addition to the CURO Honors Scholarship, CURO offers a variety of research opportunities to UGA undergraduate students without regard to major, discipline, grade point average, or Honors status. These offerings include the CURO Research Assistantship and the CURO Summer Research Fellowship as well as CURO research courses. All CURO students work with faculty mentors and have the opportunity to present their research findings at the annual CURO Symposium. Since CURO’s inception in the late 1990s, every UGA recipient of a nationally competitive major scholarship—such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Udall, and Goldwater—has participated in CURO in some fashion.
The new CURO Honors Scholars are listed below.
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Ruth Barrow, Clarke Central High School, Athens
Samuel Driggers, Glynn Academy, St. Simons Island
Morgan Geiser, Clarke Central High School, Athens
Stephan George, Brookwood High School, Lawrenceville
Grace Ingham, Edgewood High School, Madison, Wisconsin
Alyssia Mitchell, Spring Valley High School, Blythewood, South Carolina
Rachel Reines, Athens Academy, Athens
Nyree Riley, John S. Davidson Fine Arts School, Hephzibah
Sachi Shastri, Putnam County High School, Eatonton
Kevin Williams, Fayette County High School, Fayetteville
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CURO Honors Scholars Back row L-R: Samuel Driggers, Nyree Riley, Rachel Reines, Morgan Geiser, Ruth Barrow, Sachi Shastri. Front row L-R: Stephan George, Alyssia Mitchell, Kevin Williams. Not pictured: Grace Ingham.
Make Plans to Attend the 2017 CURO Symposium
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Seventeen selected as Foundation Fellows
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eventeen of the highest-achieving undergraduate students joining the Class of 2020 recently received Foundation Fellowships, UGA’s premier academic scholarship. Recipients were selected from among 1,100 applicants. Administered by Honors, the Foundation Fellowship was created in 1972 by UGA Foundation trustees to enrich the educational experience of outstanding undergraduates. The incoming class has an average SAT score of 1564 (math and verbal) and an average ACT score of 35, as well as an average high school grade point average of 4.22 on a 4.0 scale. Extra points indicate advanced placement courses. “It is a pleasure to welcome this extraordinary group of impressive individuals to the Foundation Fellowship,” said David
S. Williams, associate provost and director of Honors. “They are sure to make a very positive impact both on and beyond campus.” Through the Fellowship, in-state students receive an annual stipend of $12,300 and the Zell Miller Scholarship. Out-of-state students receive an annual stipend of $20,000 and out-of-state tuition waivers. In addition to group travel-study experiences, including a Maymester study abroad at Oxford University and three spring trips, Fellows also receive $9,000 in individual travel grants and $1,750 to fund research and academic conference attendance and enroll in Honors. The 17 incoming Foundation Fellows, listed below, bring the number of current recipients to 87.
Avni Sheel Ahuja, Alpharetta High School, Alpharetta, biochemistry and molecular biology
Mackenzie Rose Joy, Sequoyah High School, Woodstock, physics
McKenna Aliya Barney, Indian Springs School, Venetia, Pennsylvania, environmental economics and management
John Gabriel Kolb, Atherton High School, Louisville, Kentucky, biology
Rebecca L. Buechler, Greater Atlanta Christian School, Duluth, mathematics
Aditya Krishnaswamy, George Walton Comprehensive High School, Marietta, statistics
Claire Martha Drosos, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Cincinnati, Ohio, finance
Nicolas Leis, Cambridge High School, Milton, economics
Montgomery Lloyd Fischer, Henry Sibley High School, South St. Paul, Minnesota, mathematics
Jon Mallory McRae III, Grace Christian Academy, Bainbridge, chemistry
Emma Marie Goldsmith, Deerfield-Windsor School, Albany, journalism
Nina P. Reddy, Lambert High School, Suwanee, management Margaret Grace Russo, Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kansas, English
Nicole Marie Googe, Clarke Central High School, Athens, mathematics
Andrew Dunivin Schmitt, Brighton High School, Rochester, New York, biochemistry and molecular biology
Griffin Scott Hamstead, West High School, Knoxville, Tennessee, journalism
Incoming Foundation Fellows Back Row L-R: Mackenzie Joy, Emma Goldsmith, Nicolas Leis, Nicole Googe, Rebecca Buechler Middle Row L-R: Margaret Russo, Nina Reddy, Avni Ahuja, McKenna Barney, Jessica Ma Front Row L-R: Jon McRae, Aditya Krishnaswamy, Montgomery Fischer, Andrew Schmitt, Griffin Hamstead, John Kolb Not pictured: Claire Drosos
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Jessica Yan Ma, Northview High School, Johns Creek, biology
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Incoming Ramsey Honors Scholars L-R: Benjamin Starks, Benjamin Giebelhausen, Evan Barnard, Emma Hope, Sarah Aven Jones, Sara Cagle, Grant Mercer, Carl Miller
Eight incoming students named Ramsey Scholars
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ight students joining the Class of 2020 have received Bernard Ramsey Honors Scholarships, one of the university’s highest merit-based awards. The Ramsey Honors Scholarship was created by UGA Foundation trustees in 2000 and recognizes the university’s most generous individual benefactor to date, Bernard Ramsey, a former chairman of Merrill Lynch and a 1937 graduate of the UGA’s Terry College of Business. The incoming class of Ramsey Scholars has an average SAT score of 1547 (critical reading and mathematics scores) and an average ACT score of 35 (English and mathematics scores), with an average high school grade point of 4.28 on a 4.0 scale. “The new Ramsey Scholars have an impressive record of academic achievements and an exciting array of talents,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program. The Ramsey Honors Scholarship awards in-state students an annual stipend of $6,400 along with the Zell Miller Scholarship, while out-of-state students receive an annual stipend of $10,400 and out-of-state tuition waivers. Ramsey Scholars also receive $3,000 in travel-study grants for additional academic opportunities. The eight incoming Ramsey Scholars, listed below, bring the current number of recipients to 26. Evan Chandler Barnard, Johns Creek High School, Johns Creek Sara Elizabeth Cagle, Morgan County High School, Madison
Benjamin Thomas Giebelhausen, Bennington Public High School, Bennington, Nebraska Emma Danielle Hope, Cherry Creek High School, Englewood, Colorado Sarah Aven Hartwell Jones, Collegiate School, Richmond, Virginia Grant Harrison Mercer, Harrison High School, Marietta Carl Thomas Miller III, Grovetown High School, Grovetown Benjamin Crawford Starks, Celebration High School, Celebration, Florida F A
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BRIANNA ENGLISH Scholar-dancer sets sights on medical school
hird-year Honors student Brianna English, a psychology and biology major, moves easily among her studies, athletics, and community participation. During her first two years at UGA, she was involved with Women in Science and was a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation scholar, a UGA Red Hotz dancer, and a Georgia Daze recruiter, through which she assisted in recruiting minority high school students. She is currently a student-athlete as a UGA Dance Dawg. Brianna has also found time to be a desk assistant for University Housing, an intern for the Performance Pediatrics and Sports Medicine Clinic, and a volunteer at the Honorssponsored Thomas Lay After School Program. Despite a daunting schedule, she carries a near perfect GPA. Due to her stellar academic and community involvement, last year Brianna was named a Mid-Term Foundation Fellow. She continued adding to her list of Brianna English intered in Chiang Mai, Thailand. accomplishments this past summer with a medical internship through the Honors International Scholars Program. “I completed a medical internship in Chiang Mai, Thailand, through Friends for Asia, and it was the experience of a lifetime!” Brianna said. “Through the program, I was able to meet and interact with doctors, nurses, residents, and interns, and I had the opportunity to observe many surgeries. Aside from the medical aspect of the program, I was able to explore and learn about the Thai culture and enjoy the beautiful country.” Brianna will start undergraduate research through CURO this fall. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and focus on pediatrics.
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My South African Adventure
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“ spent ten weeks working at Groote Schuur Hospital as a Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Intern in Cape Town, South Africa. While I was primarily responsible for working on a research project involving mitral and atrial valve replacements, I devoted a large amount of time to attending clinics, shadowing rounds, and observing cardiothoracic surgeries. While all of the practical research skills and public health lessons I gained will be beneficial to me in my pre-medical studies, nothing will top the first time I saw a beating heart in a patient’s chest while watching surgery. It was hands-down one of the best moments, rivaling my skydiving and other adrenaline-seeking antics! In a single weekend I went skydiving, rode elephants at an elephant sanctuary, and crawled through 20-million-year-old caves. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without the advice and support of students, staff, and scholarship funding within the Foundation Fellowship.” – Kerri Andre ’18, Environmental Health Science
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2015-2016 Graduate Scholarships Carnegie Junior Research Fellowship
1
Erasmus Mundus EU Scholarship
2
Fulbright Scholarship
18
Marshall Scholarship
1
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
17
Pickering Scholarship
1
Schwarzman Scholarship
1
2015-2016 Undergraduate Scholarships Boren Scholarship
4
Goldwater Scholarship
2
Udall Scholarship
1
Honors Program Students
2500
2016-2017 first-year class
525
Average first-year high school GPA
4.16
Average first-year high school ACT
1487* 33**
Foundation Fellows (FF)
87
2016-2017 first-year class
17
Average first-year high school GPA
PUBLISHER
UGA Honors Program 002 Moore College 108 Herty Drive Athens, GA 30602 David S. Williams, Associate Provost and Director EDITOR
Dorothé Otemann
Honors Program Statistics
Average first-year SAT
The Honors Magazine is published biannually for alumni and friends of the University of Georgia Honors Program
4.22
PHONE
706.542.3240 FA X
706.582.6993 EMAIL
dotemann@uga.edu WEBSITE
honors.uga.edu DESIGN
1564*
Sam Pittard Bulldog Print + Design
Average first-year high school ACT
35
PHOTOGRAPHY
CURO Honors Scholars
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2016-2017 first-year class
10
Average first-year SAT
Average first-year high school GPA Average first-year SAT Average first-year high school ACT
4.11 1428* 31**
Ramsey Scholars (RS)
26
2016-2017 first-year class
8
Average first-year high school GPA
4.28
Average first-year SAT
1547*
Average first-year high school ACT *Critical Reading and Math Sections Only **English and Math Sections Only
Jason Thrasher Wingate Downs
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Copyright © 2016 by the University of Georgia. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without permission from the editor.
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The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.
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