The Provost’s Council on Student Honors has nominated five students for the prestigious Rhodes, Marshall and Mitchell scholarships. The students hail from such diverse disciplines as biochemistry, international studies, environmental earth sciences, biopsychology and anthropology.
“The University of Michigan has good reason to be very proud of the exceptional students who represent us in these national competitions,” said Lester P. Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs. “They have distinguished themselves academically by amassing near perfect grades while also improving the lives of others through research and community engagement.”
Provost Martha Pollack will host a reception for Sepideh Ashrafzadeh, Kevin Carney, Robin Czerwinski, Xiao Wang and Courtney Weber at 6 p.m. Monday in the Kalamazoo Room of the Michigan League. The event is open to the public.The Rhodes Scholarships allow outstanding students from many countries to study at the University of Oxford. Marshall Scholarships finance Americans who wish to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. The George Mitchell Scholarship Program provides for one year of graduate work in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Ashrafzadeh, who is studying for a Bachelor of Science, with honors in biochemistry, LSA, is nominated for the Marshall and Rhodes (Michigan Regions) scholarships. Ashrafzadeh has conducted research at several universities, had research appear in many publications and received numerous awards including the Thomas J. Bardos Science Education Award.
Activities include volunteering at Healthcare Experience, New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding, and currently working with Wolverine Tutors and as administrative director of InnoWorks Science Camp. If selected for the Marshall, Ashrafzadeh intends to pursue two one-year Master of Science degrees, the first in global public health and policy at Queen Mary University in London; the second in public health at Oxford University.
Carney, who in 2012 earned a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in international studies, with highest honors, and economics, LSA, is nominated for the Marshall and Rhodes (Michigan Regions) scholarships. He currently works as a policy analyst for Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab in Santiago, Chile, and in the past has interned at the U.S. Department of State.
His community service has included volunteering for Alternative Spring Break, Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, The Shelter Association of Washtenaw County and The Back Door Food Pantry. If selected for the Marshall, Carney plans to pursue a Master of Science in econometrics and mathematical economics at the London School of Economics.
Czerwinski, who in 2012 earned a Bachelor of Science with Highest Distinction in environment earth sciences with highest honors through LSA and the School of Natural Resources & Environment, is nominated for the Rhodes and Marshall (Michigan Regions) scholarships. She currently is an environmental education and community outreach Peace Corps volunteer in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Activities include four years with the Michigan Marching Band, serving as an elected member of North Quad Hall Council and mentoring at-risk elementary school students through K-grams. Czerwinski received numerous awards and honors, including the Gerald R. Ford Award for Public Policy & Service. If selected, she plans to pursue a Master of Science in water science, policy and management at Oxford University.
Wang, who is studying for a Bachelor of Science, with honors in biopsychology and in cognition and neuroscience and cell and molecular biology, LSA, is nominated for the Rhodes (Michigan Region) scholarship. He received numerous awards and honors, including the Jack Meiland Scholarship through the U-M Honors Program, in addition to several fellowships and grants. Wang conducted research in several U-M labs, and had his research published.
Outreach experience includes volunteering at Arbor Hospice, and he taught and served as a tutor and mentor. Additional activities include physician shadowing at the U-M Health System, and performing with the Campus Symphony Orchestra and the Michigan Pops Orchestras. If selected, he will pursue a Master of Science in medical anthropology at Oxford University.
Weber, who will earn a Bachelor of Science, honors anthropology and Spanish, LSA, is nominated for the Rhodes, Marshall, and Mitchell (Michigan Regions) scholarships. In the summer of 2013, Weber was in the Honors Summer Fellowship program. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Irene Shipman Scholarship and belonging to the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society.
She has served as a tutor for Peace Neighborhood Center and Palma, and currently volunteers at Saint Mary Student Parish and Imagine Community. She also volunteered as an Alternative Spring Break site leader and tutors English as a second language.
