|
|
Yahonnes Cleary, left, and Richard Weinberg.
|
Two Columbia College seniors, Yahonnes Cleary and Richard Weinberg, will study in Britain next year as Marshall Scholars. Cleary, a political science major, intends to pursue a second bachelor's in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. And Weinberg, a bio-chemistry major, will begin work on his Ph.D. in chemistry next fall at Cambridge, with plans to eventually obtain an M.D. in the United States.
Throughout the country, approximately 800 applicants compete annually for only 40 Marshall Scholarships, which allow the winners to study at the undergraduate or graduate level at any college or university in the United Kingdom. The scholarship provides students with a $24,000-per-year stipend over two years of study.
Earlier this year, another College senior, Brandon Dammerman, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.
"I'm looking forward to interacting with people who have a vision for the world and are interested in social change," said Cleary, who expects his course work and exposure to British culture to become a great asset. "I think it'll help me to build a strong foundation for the future."
With ambitions for a law degree and master's in public policy, Cleary's resume overflows with community service and campus activity. He spent the spring semester of his junior year in Zimbabwe researching grass roots social policy development. At Columbia, he volunteers at Community Impact as a literacy tutor for the America Reads program and serves as political chair for Columbia's United Students of Color Council.
A native of the South Bronx who attended Choate Rosemary Hall, Cleary has developed the ability to successfully adapt to new environments. Regarding his upcoming year in England, he said, "My strategy will be to always remember it's a different country and a different culture."
Weinberg, who grew up in Miami, chose Cambridge based on the strength of its chemistry department, but also looks forward to the promise of its lush setting and historic campus. "Location always plays an important part in where you go," he said. "There's a certain type of life experience you get as a result of it."
Weinberg expects the rural calm of Cambridge will be a nice change of pace from Manhattan.
A member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, a tutor for junior high students in the community, and captain of the men's club volleyball team, Weinberg says he's most successful when supplementing his academic workload with other outlets. "I find I usually do better in school when I have a lot going on," he said. "Balance is important; it always has been for me."
The Marshall Scholarships are funded by the Diplomatic Wing of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office and named for former U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall. They were instituted in thanks to the United States for establishing the Marshall Plan at the end of W.W.II, which provided many devastated European countries with material and financial aid.
Those selected as Marshall Scholars are chosen based on a criteria that considers their ability to become active members of the British college they attend and their potential to eventually make significant contributions to U.S. society.
|
