Increase in Marshall Scholarships and 2017 winners
The UK Government has announced a 25% increase in the number of American post-graduate students joining the Marshall Scholarship from 2017.
The announcement comes as the government formally unveiled the winners of the prestigious scholarship. 40 students, representing some of the most outstanding and accomplished university students from across the United States, will travel to the UK beginning in Fall 2017 to begin graduate study at universities throughout the country.
Speaking on the announcement, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Alok Sharma, said:
This increase in scholarships shows how resolute Britain is in its commitment to the special relationship. And, of course, our Marshall scholars retain a lifelong warmth for the UK.
Previous Marshall scholars have gone on to achieve extraordinary success, making Oscar nominated films, setting up LinkedIn, and becoming NASA’s youngest astronaut.
Giving these talented people the opportunity to study at our best universities means we can build strong relationships with the next generation of influential American leaders in business, politics, and many other professions.
Christopher Fisher, Chair of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, added:
We are delighted to be in a position to award 40 Scholarships for 2017. This reflects a most welcome strengthening of the British Government’s funding of the Marshall Scholarship Programme as well as continuing support from our Academic Partners.
This Scholarship Programme has a fantastic track record and will continue to enrich British-American relationships.
Commenting on the 2017 class of Marshall Scholars, British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch said:
I warmly congratulate the recipients of this year’s Marshall Scholarship, the UK Government’s flagship scholarship programme for American students. Marshall Scholars have traditionally represented some of the finest and brightest young minds from across the United States, and the 2017 class is shaping up to be among our most impressive yet.
Over the past 60 years, more than 1,800 Americans have travelled across the Atlantic to pursue academic study under the auspices of the Marshall Scholarship. Their time in the UK develops in them a special appreciation of the bond between our two countries, and demonstrates the unique value of our academic exchanges. I am confident the 2017 Marshall Scholars will build on this distinguished tradition and serve as fine ambassadors of the United States during their time in the UK. I wish them an enjoyable and productive time at Britain’s world-class academic institutions.
For media inquiries about the Marshall Scholarship and the recipients, please contact Josh Stanton, Head of Youth Engagement at the British Embassy: Joshua.stanton@fco.gov.uk.
About the Marshall Scholarship
Named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarship Programme began in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude to the people of the United States for the assistance that the UK received after World War II under the Marshall Plan. The scholarships offer talented young Americans the chance to study for up to three years at a UK university of their choice. Today, the Marshall Scholarships continue to serve not only as a living gift from the UK Government to the US for the Marshall Plan, but also as a way to deepen and strengthen the transatlantic relationship through education and cultural exchange.
Since the programme’s inception, more than 1,800 young Americans have become Marshall Scholars. Prominent alumni of the Marshall Scholarship include:
- Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer
- Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Anne Applebaum, Tom Friedman and Dan Yergin
- William Burns, Former US Deputy Secretary of State
- Reid Hoffman, creator of social networking platform LinkedIn
- Anne McClain, NASA Astronaut
- Joshua Oppenheimer, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker
- Nancy Lublin, CEO of Crisis Text Hotline
The full list of 2017 winners of the Marshall Scholarship are:
| Students | US University | UK University |
|---|---|---|
| Bailey Anderson | University of Texas – Austin | University of Oxford |
| Abraham Axler | University of Virginia | London School of Economics |
| Rebecca Boslough | University of Montana – Missoula | University of Leeds |
| Julius Bright Ross | Harvard University | University of Oxford |
| Seamus Caragher | Georgetown University | University of Glasgow |
| Matthew Cavuto | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Imperial College London |
| Bill De La Rosa | Bowdoin College | University of Oxford |
| David Elitzer | Brown University | University College London |
| Maille Radford | Harvard University | Courtauld Institute of Art |
| Joani Etskovitz | Princeton University | University of Oxford |
| Nancy Fairbank | University of Texas – Dallas | University of Birmingham |
| Rahfin Faruk | Southern Methodist University | University of Reading |
| Taylor Harwood | St. Catherine’s University | King’s College London |
| William Henagan | University of Virginia | University of Oxford |
| Zachary Hulcher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Cambridge |
| Matthew Hurst | University of Colorado – Boulder | University College London |
| Noam Kantor | Emory University | University of Oxford |
| Sarah Koch | University of Virginia | University of Oxford |
| Daniel Kinch | Northwestern University | Durham University |
| Faiza Masood | City University of New York – Hunter College | School of Oriental & African Studies |
| Deshawn McKinney | University of Wisconsin – Madison | London School of Economics |
| Jacob Miller | University of Massachusetts – Amherst | University of Cambridge |
| Victoria Mousley | College of the Holy Cross | University College London |
| Hasher Nisar | Middlebury College | University of Oxford |
| Ian O’Grady | Claremont McKenna College | University of Oxford |
| Devika Ranjan | Georgetown University | University of Oxford |
| Samuel Ruppert | United States Military Academy | King’s College London |
| Debbie Sameniego | Westminster College UT | Queen Mary, University of London |
| Erin Schulte | Arizona State University | King’s College London |
| Evan Silver | Brown University | The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama |
| Erin Simpson | University of Chicago | University of Oxford |
| Aaron Solomon | University of Maryland – College Park | Imperial College London |
| Emilia Truluck | Emory University | University of Oxford |
| Bailey Ulbricht | Carleton College | School of Oriental & African Studies |
| Alina Utrata | Stanford University | Queen’s University of Belfast |
| David Wagner | United States Air Force Academy | University of Edinburgh |
| Devin Weiss | University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign | University of Sussex |
| Reylon Yount | Harvard University | School of Oriental & African Studies |
| Kevin Zhou | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Cambridge |
| Daniel Zuo | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Cambridge |