Nine Weinberg College Seniors Honored for Outstanding Academic Achievement

Nine Weinberg College seniors were presented with the prestigious Oliver Marcy, James Alton James, and Daniel Bonbright Awards during a ceremony led by Dean Sarah Mangelsdorf on November 11, 2011. The awards, each given to three students, recognize outstanding academic achievement across the sciences and humanities.

The Oliver Marcy Scholarship, for students studying the natural sciences and mathematics, was awarded to Kerianne Fullin, Hunter Gits, and Lauren Linzmeier.

• Fullin studies Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Global Health. Already a world traveller, she has recently conducted research in France and Ghana.
• Gits says he has been drawn to science since a young age and hopes to channel his interest in this area and passion for helping others into a career as a medical doctor.
• Linzmeier, a triple major in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, Economics, and Math, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in economics following graduation. She cites her dual passions for economics and educational policy as driving forces in her career choice.

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The 2011 scholarship winners with Dean Sarah Mangelsdorf (left) and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Mary Finn (second from right).

The James Alton James Scholarship, awarded for distinguished achievement in the social sciences, was presented to Blake Erickson, Arthur Jago, and Mengyi Jiang.

• Erickson, a self-described avid runner, volunteer, and vinyl record enthusiast, is finishing a senior thesis on the impacts of environment and activity on human skeletal growth.
• Jago, a Psychology and Cognitive Science double major, has worked in Northwestern University Residential Life for three years and plays on the tennis club team. After graduation he says he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Management/Organizational Behavior.
• Jiang is double majoring in Economics and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences. She cites campus diversity and friendships with classmates among the things she has appreciated most while at Northwestern.

Laura Jok, Joshua Levin, and Katherine McGarrahan were recipients of the Daniel Bonbright Scholarship, awarded for excellence in the humanities.

• Studying Creative Writing and Linguistics, Jok says she sees writing and teaching as possible future career directions, which she is preparing for through contributions to multiple publications and tutoring on campus.
• According to Levin, who is majoring in History and American Studies, law school is on his immediate horizon following graduation. He cites African American history, as well as race and cultural studies, among his research interests.
• McGarrahan is a French major and has also earned the Medill Certificate in Integrated Marketing and Communications. Eventually, she says she’d like to combine these interests through a role in international advertising or marketing.

The Marcy, James, and Bonbright Scholarships are named for three influential faculty members in Northwestern’s history. Oliver Marcy was a professor of natural science in the late 1800s and also acting president. James Alton James served as History department chair as well as the first dean of The Graduate School. For more than five decades, Daniel Bonbright was a professor of Latin and served as University president at the beginning of the 20th Century.