Susanna Throop, a May 2000 graduate of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, and Rogelio Galindo, a 2001 graduate of Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, were each awarded the prestigious Gates-Cambridge Trust Scholarship inaugurated this year.
At Cambridge University beginning in September, Throop will pursue a three-year doctoral degree in history and Galindo will pursue a master's in philosophy in modern society and global transformation.
"I am, of course, immensely grateful for the scholarship -- I would be unable to study at Cambridge without it," said Throop, a Newfield High School graduate and a double major in history and English who received several prestigious awards while at Cornell. "One thing about the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship that struck me from the beginning was the emphasis placed on finding and funding people with specific academic and professional goals that focus on making a real contribution to society."
Established by the William and Melinda Gates Foundation, the scholarship supports up to four years of postgraduate study at Cambridge beginning in October 2001. The foundation's goal is to create a network of future leaders from around the world who will bring new vision and commitment to improving the life circumstances of citizens in their respective countries, according to the foundation's mission statement. It is anticipated that Gates-Cambridge scholars will become leaders in helping to address global problems related to health, equity, technology and learning. Applicants from every country of the world, except the United Kingdom, are eligible to apply.
Throop received her M.A. degree in medieval studies from the University of Toronto in April 2001. While at Cornell, she received numerous honors including a 2000 Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies, a Merrill Presidential Scholar award and the 2000 George S. Lustig Prize for the most outstanding senior history major. She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and the Golden Key National Honor Society, and she received a National Federation of Music Trophy for Excellence in Piano in 1992 and 1994.
A New York City resident, Galindo will pursue a master's in philosophy in modern society and global transformation with a focus on comparative study of welfare provisions in emerging economies, specifically Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
This is not Galindo's first trip to England; he served as a research assistant at Oxford University, October 1999 through June 2000. Separately, he participated in the Willamette University Winter Program at the University of Havana, Cuba, from December 1998 to January 1999. In addition to his academic work, Galindo served as a teaching assistant at the Hotel School in the fall of 1998 and 2000. He also was a special projects coordinator at the Cornell Office of Minority Programs, and he served as an intern for hotel operations at the Four Seasons in New York City.
Galindo received numerous honors and awards and was engaged in a variety of extracurricular activities while at Cornell, among them: Senior Honor Society of the Quill and Dagger, 2000; the Roberto J. Ferraz Character of Goodwill Award; the Summer 1999 Martin Samuels Memorial Scholarship 1998-1999; the 2000-2001 Statler Scholarship of Excellence; the 1998-1999 Statler Foundation Research Grant; the 1998 Dr. Vernon H. Jenson and H. Hamlet Scholarship, 1997-1998; and, the Cornell Office of Minority Educational Leadership Award, summer 1997.
And Galindo's service work extended beyond the Cornell community. He was a founder of the Winds of Relief food distribution project at Cornell and was an activities coordinator for the MacCormick Center, a state juvenile prison facility. He also worked with students in the Ithaca High School outreach program and was a member of the Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR), the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality and the Cornell Forensics Society, among other activities.
For more information about the Gates-Cambridge Trust Scholarship, contact Beth Fiori, Cornell fellowships coordinator, at 255-6923.
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |