Office of National and International Scholarships, University of Minnesota, 390 Northrop, 84 Church St SE
ONIS Newsletter Vol. 4, no. 6 (May 2023)
The ONIS newsletter is a semi-monthly record of news concerning applications for nationally and internationally competitive scholarships, primarily for undergraduates and primarily for the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. If you would like to have a copy emailed directly to you, please send a request to natschol@umn.edu. Follow ONIS on Twitter (@natscholUMTC) for the latest news and updates.
Truman campus deadline extended: Sophomore leaders committed to serving the public good may apply for a campus nomination by May 31. Details here: https://z.umn.edu/Truman.
Celebrations:
Juniors Joleece Pecore and Carter Yost have been selected as Truman Scholars from among 705 candidates nominated by 275 colleges and universities for their outstanding leadership potential, commitment to careers of public service, and academic excellence.
Joleece, an Art and American Indian Studies major from Stevens Point, Wisconsin is a member of the Ho Chunk Nation and plans to complete a JD with a specialization in Indian Law so that she can represent the interests of Indigenous communities, especially around issues of natural resources, legal jurisdiction, and historic rights and treaties. As an artist and organizer, she has orchestrated cultural events within and across Native communities, including work on campus through the American Indian Cultural Center and Circle of Indigenous Nations. Carter, who is majoring in Communications, History and Political Science, took a gap year after high school to serve as a field director for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.
The Nebraska native has continued to be involved in electoral politics in Minnesota, working as communications director for Jason Chavez’ Minneapolis City Council campaign. As a student senator he has authored or co-sponsored over twenty resolutions, including advocacy for the “Race, Power and Justice” Liberal Education theme and the “Fight for $15” minimum wage resolution on campus. Last fall he organized and led the “Row the Vote” campaign, the most effective voter mobilization effort in campus history, and he currently serves as Government and Legislative Affairs Director for the Association of Big Ten Students. He plans to complete a graduate degree in Public Policy and would like to serve as a presidential speech writer.
Rising juniors with a record of leadership and commitment to public service should contact natschol@umn.edu about applying for a campus Truman nomination. Scholars receive $30K scholarships for graduate studies plus professional development opportunities.
Four seniors and recent graduates have been offered Fulbright awards to conduct research or teach English abroad next year. Senior Biology major Zaynab Ahmed plans to carry out public health research in Barbados and Biomedical Engineering senior Ibrahim Irfanullah will study cancer screening technology in Brazil. Recent graduates Ben Meranda (German and Spanish) and Kyle Krueger (Mechanical Engineering) will teach English in German high schools. Senior music major Charles Gannon has been selected as an alternate for the Netherlands, where he would study saxophone at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
Junior Earth Sciences and ESPM major Mia Schwartz has been offered summer research internship at in Germany through the DAAD RISE program. She will be studying Thermal Energy Storage Systems at TU Bergakademie Freiburg, building on her experience as an exchange student at the University of Iceland during the current academic year.
Thomas Fabian, a Math and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies major, has been awarded a Boren Scholarship to support his capstone year in the Chinese Flagship program. Boren Awards support immersive study of critical languages by students who plan to work in areas relevant to national security. Thomas plans to spend next year at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.
• The Fulbright US Student Program application for 2024-25 is open •
Juniors, seniors and grads who would like to spend ’24-25 studying, teaching or conducting research in one of 140 countries around the world should contact natschol@umn.edu for information about the application process. Graduate Students should contact gradfellow@umn.edu. Both offices will be holding information sessions and workshops over the next months to help students prepare competitive applications. The campus deadline for submitting applications is August 30. Campus interviews will be conducted in September and final applications must be submitted by October 10.
Webinar on scholarships to support graduate study abroad
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program and other public and private scholarship initiatives provide scholarships to support graduate study in foreign countries. While some of these, like the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, require nominations from a college or university, others are open to direct application by students. The latter include the Gates Scholarships to attend Cambridge and Clarendon Scholarships at Oxford, Mitchell Scholarships at Irish universities, DAAD graduate scholarships for German universities, and others. Some are open to international students as well as U. S. citizens. Students who are interested in these programs are encouraged to attend an informational webinar on May 1 at 7:00pm. Register at z.umn.edu/ONIS.
ONIS is located within the University Honors Program, a unit of the Office of Undergraduate Education, and works with any University of Minnesota students interested in applying for nationally and internationally competitive scholarships.