Fourteen Women Earn Marshall Scholarships

In 1953 the Marshall Scholarship program was established by an act of the British Parliament. Funded by the British government, the program is a national gesture of thanks to the American people for aid received under the Marshall Plan, the U.S.-financed program that led to the reconstruction of Europe after World War II.

The scholarships provide funds for two years of study at a British university, travel, living expenses, and a book allowance. Applicants must earn a degree at an American college or university with a minimum of a 3.7 grade point average. Up to 40 Marshall scholarships can be given out each year. This year the Marshall Foundation selected 31 winners. Fourteen are women.

(L to R) Top row: Morgan Breene, Hope Bretscher, Dahlia d’Arge, Julia Ebert, Tess Grogan, Anna Hagan, and Andrea Howard. Second row: Linda Kinstler, Katherine McDaniel, Sarah Mohamed, Sarah Norvell, Miranda Rizzolo, Tayler Ulmer, and Jacqueline Zavala.

Morgan Breene is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Rhode Island. Her focus is underwater archaeology and her current research involves the Napoleonic Wars in the Mediterranean. Breen will pursue an master’s degree in maritime archaeology at the University of Southampton and a master’s degree in European history at University College London.

Hope Bretscher is a senior at the University of Chicago. She is majoring in physics with a human rights minor. She is a member of the cross country and track teams at the university.

Dahlia d’Arge is a senior at the University of Kentucky, where she is majoring in history. A four-year member of the Army ROTC program, d’Arge will be commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation. As a Marshall Scholar, she will explore how asymmetric warfare tactics and strategies are affected by modern intelligence gathering.

Julia Ebert, from Wausau, Wisconsin, is a senior at Northeastern University in Boston. She is majoring in behavioral neuroscience with a minor in computer science. She previously won a Goldwater Scholarship and a DAAD Scholarship for study at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, Germany. She plans on studying for a master’s degree in bioengineering at Imperial College London.

Tess Grogan graduated summa cum laude from Smith College with a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and a minor in government. Since graduating, Grogan has worked as an editor of world language teacher licensure examinations. She plans to pursue a degree in Renaissance studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Anna Hagan is from Brooklyn, New York. She is a senior at Harvard University majoring in English and dramatic arts. Hagan is an editor for Harvard’s literary magazine and she serves as president of the Signet Society for the arts. She is currently writing a collection of short stories.

Andrea Howard, from Norcross, Georgia, is a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. She will be one of the first 100 women in the United States Navy’s submarine force. At the academy, Howard is the Corps Commander of the 115-member Drum & Bugle Corps. Howard will pursue an master’s degree in science and security at King’s College London.

Linda Kinstler graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Bowdoin College in 2013 with a degree in English literature. At Bowdoin, she was editor in chief of the Bowdoin Orient, the weekly student-run newspaper. Since graduation she has been a reporter and editor for The New Republic. Kinstler will pursue a master’s degree in European literature and culture with a concentration in Russian and East European studies at the University of Cambridge.

Katherine McDaniel graduated from Yale University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Since graduation she has traveled to Cambodia as a Luce Scholar.

Sarah Mohamed is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she is the program coordinator and research assistant for the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in modern Middle Eastern studies at the University of Oxford.

A native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Sarah Norvell will graduate from Yale University this spring with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the Classics. Norvell performs with the Yale Glee Club and the Opera Theatre of Yale College. She intends to study Greek and Roman history at the University of Oxford.

Miranda Rizzolo is a senior at Yale University, where she is majoring in English and theater studies. At Yale, she has acted in fourteen productions. Rizzolo will pursue a master’s degree in classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Tayler Ulmer, a Chicago-native, graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta with degrees in anthropology/sociology and international studies. Previously, she was selected as a Truman Scholar. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in sociology.

Jacqueline Zavala graduated from the University of Texas-Brownsville with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She was an intern at the National Science Foundation during the summer of 2014. Using her Marshall Scholarship, Zavala will study environmental science at the University of East Anglia.