Washington, DC (15 September 2008) – The 2008 Marshall Scholars will meet with top US and UK government officials today and tomorrow before they depart for two years of graduate studies in the United Kingdom. The dignitaries who will meet them include Congressman John Spratt, Jr. (D-SC 5th District), UK Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald, British Embassy Deputy Head of Mission Dominick Chilcott and Department of State Under Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns. Both Congressman Spratt and Under Secretary Burns are former Marshall Scholars.
“The British Government is extremely pleased to welcome the new class of Marshall Scholars,” said Ambassador Sheinwald. “These extraordinarily talented students will join the ranks of other Marshall Scholars before them who have excelled in all walks of life and are vital to maintaining the strong relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.”
Marshall Scholars have become leaders in a broad range of professions. Distinguished alumni include New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, inventor of the Dolby noise reduction system and Chairman of Dolby Laboratories Ray Dolby, former Duke University President Nan Keohane and Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip, who have all pursued graduates studies in the United Kingdom as Marshall Scholars.
This year’s diverse and highly-competitive class of scholars includes students who have already made professional contributions to a number of fields, including health technology, music and government work.
Working in the Digital Health and Emerging Market Platforms groups at Intel, scholar Marzyeh Ghassemi helped improve healthcare technology in developing countries across the world and will study at the Life Sciences Doctoral Training Centre in Oxford.
Trumpeter and composer Rachel Kincaid’s compositions have been published and played in venues across the US, Germany and the UK. She will pursue a master in trumpet performance at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Emma Kaufman, who will study criminology at the University of Oxford, has spent a year interviewing inmates and advocates for prison reform with the Correctional Association of New York and has also worked for the Legal Aid Society and the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
“I am delighted that the 2008 Marshall Scholars will have the honor of meeting with Congressman Spratt and Under Secretary Burns,” said Sharon Memis, Director of British Council USA, which administers the scholarship in partnership with the British Embassy in Washington. “They demonstrate the scholarship’s commitment to recognizing the next generation of US leaders.”
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About the Marshall Scholarship: Founded by a 1953 Act of Parliament, and named in honor of US Secretary of State George C Marshall, the Marshall Scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan and express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts. Each year, the program awards up to 40 outstanding American college graduates a two-year scholarship for a graduate program in any field at the UK institution of their choice. For more information, please visit http://www.marshallscholarship.org/.
About the British Council: The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international non-profit organization for cultural relations and education opportunities. In the US, we increase recognition of the wide range of learning opportunities available in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and facilitate educational cooperation between the US and UK. Through transatlantic artistic partnerships, we introduce the American public to high-quality, groundbreaking creative achievements from the UK, and our science programs build networks that draw upon the UK's innovation in climate change and other disciplines. We also develop initiatives that give a voice to the next generation of leaders on both sides of the Atlantic, encouraging them to work together to explore solutions to current and future global issues.
CONTACT: Carrie AnnandThe United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland)
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