Fourth-year College students Abraham Axler and Sarah Koch and first-year Commerce graduate student William Henagan were named Marshall Scholars on Monday. The Marshall Scholarship finances up to 40 American students each year to pursue graduate studies at institution in the United Kingdom.
Koch, a Middle Eastern language and literature major, recently ranked in the top 10 of U.S. Army ROTC cadets. She noted ROTC and the Women’s Leadership Development Program as her most helpful University experiences.
“ROTC is a pretty incredible college experience because it puts you in a lot of situations you wouldn't willingly put yourself in,” Koch said. “They force you to make decisions on the spot, which I think is a really good experience for interviewing.”
Zvi Gilboa, a Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures professor, said Koch’s dedication, curiosity and preparedness for class made her stand out in the classroom. He noted her contributions to classroom discussions as one of her biggest strengths.
“The mix of critical thinking and hands-on experiences and a clear view of how to bring the two together and how to apply the knowledge in the future, I think that’s for me what would have made a very strong application,” Gilboa said.
Third-year College student Raquel Marriott, a friend of Koch’s, said her research experience, language skills and hardworking nature are standout qualities.
“Sarah is probably the smartest person I know — she’s very passionate and very inquisitive,” Marriott said. “She's just done a lot in a little amount of time, but she's done a lot of substantive things.”
Axler, a politics honors major, said the application process, though stressful, taught him taking classes for fun can lead to great rewards. After hearing he received the award, he said he felt grateful.
“I felt very indebted to the institutions and the people who had invested in me,” Axler said.
Axler said he would like to pursue studies at the London School of Economics, and use his master’s degree return to his hometown of New York City and work as a bureaucrat.
“The London School of Economics puts an emphasis on graduate studies and an emphasis on how cities operate particularly with social policy, which is what I’m interested in,” Axler said. “I really want to be the best bureaucrat I can be.”
Fourth-year College student Marc Blatt, a friend of Axler’s, said Axler’s strong interests in niche subjects and pursuit of his genuine interests make him stand out.
“He is just unabashedly himself at all times,” Blatt said. “A lot of people told him to conform, but I think that throughout all of this he's never wavered from his original interests and the intellectual pursuits that really interest him.”
Henagan, who graduated from the University in 2016 and is currently a Commerce graduate student, said his involvements with the entrepreneurship community and history department were helpful University experiences when it came to his application.
“There’s a really great culture of entrepreneurship, a lot of resources and support given to people working in that sort of space,” Henagan said. “Working with the faculty on really cutting-edge, non-traditional projects really helped me as a critical thinker, which I think helped me achieve in a lot of other areas.”
Henagan said he hopes to attend University of Oxford to get a master’s in social policy, and start a career in public service.
“The idea is to learn as much as I can about public-private partnerships and how to leverage private resources to create positive social outcomes,” Henagan said. “I’m excited to delve into coursework completely and immerse myself in it.”
Blatt, also a friend of Henagan’s, cited Henagan’s founding of Greens to Grounds as a major example of his dedication and ability to bring ideas to fruition.
“He's confident in his abilities and he's not afraid to start something like Greens to Grounds because he’ll make it work as long as the idea’s good,” Blatt said.
Andrus Ashoo, associate director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, said he is particularly proud of the applicants because they had all been finalists, but not winners, for other national awards and persevered throughout the Marshall Scholarship application process.
“All three were humbled — and ultimately emboldened — by the process of interrogating their own motivations, experiences and plans,” Ashoo said in an email statement.
Correction: This article previously incorrectly referred to Raquel Marriott as Raquel Talbott.
Read More
Honor Committee plans Dorm Talks and finals week initiatives
By Lexie Stadler | YesterdayIn an effort to enhance student outreach and introduce incoming students to the Honor System, the Committee will reintroduce Dorm Talks in the Fall 2024 semester.
BREAKING: Two fraternities suspended, one terminated after hazing allegations
By Ford McCracken | 2 days agoThe University’s chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha is the founding chapter of the fraternity, which was founded in West Range room 47 in 1868.
From the archives: April 22 – April 28
By Maisy Callahan and Grace Franklin | 2 days agoThose opposed to the Mall feared closing Main St. would create inconvenience and traffic, which would in turn decrease the income made by merchants.
