Baylor Students, Alumni Cap Off Record-setting Year with Prestigious Scholarships, Fellowships

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (May 13, 2020) – Baylor University students from across the disciplines capped off a record-setting 2019-2020 academic year by receiving some of the most prestigious – and competitive – scholarships, fellowships and internships at the national and international levels.

“We are immensely proud of these students and all that these awards represent,” said Andrew P. Hogue, Ph.D., associate dean in the Office of Engaged Learning, which partners with students, in collaboration with faculty and staff throughout the University, to help them maximize their scholarship beyond the classroom.

“Winning prestigious fellowships and awards is always a reflection of a student’s hard work and dedication, as well as the immense support they have received from faculty mentors who have guided them to this point. As is a hallmark of the Baylor experience, that mentorship likely will continue as these students launch toward new and exciting opportunities to lead and serve around the globe,” Hogue said. “This record-setting year is thrilling, but it is also just the beginning. Baylor has demonstrated the foresight to devote resources to the entire engaged learning enterprise that have us on a path to be second to none in how we equip our undergraduates to maximize their education and impact the world for good.”

This spring’s recipients are:

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

• Maren Brady, a senior communication sciences and disorders major from Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA), Malaysia.
• Kyle Desrosiers, a senior University Scholar from Arlington, Texas, Fulbright Study/Research Award for an MA in Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
• Micheal Munson, a senior University Scholar from San Jose, California, Fulbright Study/Research Award to The University of Liverpool. Munson also won a Goldwater Scholarship in 2019.

Alumni Fulbright

• Rahul Dadwani, B.A. (University Scholar) ’17, Fulbright Study/Research Award to the University of York, England, through the University of Chicago, where he is a graduate student.

*Critical Language Scholarship

• Carter Anne Jones, a senior international studies/Russian major from Tyler, Texas, Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to Indonesia to study Bahasa Indonesian. Jones also won a David L. Boren Scholarship in 2018 to study in Indonesia.
• Daniel Burch, a senior political science major from St. Louis, Missouri, Critical Language Scholarship to Tajikistan to study Farsi and Tajik. He also won a CLS in 2019.

Pickering Graduate Fellowship

• Cat Haseman, B.A. (University Scholar) 2019, Pickering Graduate Fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in Arab studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She also won a Fulbright ETA to the West Bank, Israel, in 2019.

**Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship

• Stephanie M. Lefthand, a master’s degree candidate in social work at Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, 2020 Udall Foundation Native American Congressional Internship . She identifies as Taos Pueblo and as a descendant of Spanish settlers in southern Colorado and is the first Baylor student to be selected as a Udall Intern.

Goldwater Scholarship

• Andrew J. Munoz, a senior biology major and transfer student from Seattle, Washington, 2020 Goldwater Scholarship, supporting his undergraduate research on cancer-related fatigue.
• Emily Schultz, a junior biology major from Plano, 2020 Goldwater Scholarship, supporting her undergraduate research on emerging viral diseases.

Marshall Scholarship

• Lawson Sadler, a senior University Scholar from San Antonio, Texas, 2020 Marshall Scholarship to study for a master’s degree in migration and global development at the University of Sussex, England, where she will research comparative U.S.-U.K. immigration policy.

Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship

• Gabbi Mucerino, a senior political science major from Lakewood, Colorado, 2020 Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship to pursue a master’s degree in law and diplomacy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

Schwarzman Scholars

• Zane Zovak, B.A. (International Studies) ’18 of Waco, Texas, 2021 Class of Schwarzman Scholars. He will pursue a master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Baylor students who seek a rich – even extraordinary – undergraduate education are supported by Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning, as they apply and compete for prestigious scholarships, fellowships, internships and research experiences at the national and international level. These awards include the Fulbright, Truman, Gates Cambridge, Boren and Rhodes, and for other notable awards, such as the Goldwater, Pickering, Critical Language Scholarship and National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU).

* The summer 2020 Critical Language Scholarship program has been suspended because of travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the CLS program has created the CLS Virtual Institute so that students can pursue their language study online.

** In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Udall Foundation and NNI have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Udall Internship program. As a result, 2020 Udall Interns have been offered spots in the 2021 program.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.