Six ambitious University students will venture to England next year in order to pursue their graduate studies —courtesy of Sir John Thouron.
Thouron fellowships have been awarded to College seniors Jessica Stoner, Philippe Visser, Jeremy Kahn and Shawn Walker, College and Wharton senior Joshua Schultz and Wharton and Engineering senior Staci Standen.
The fellowships will enable them to gain closer ties with the United Kingdom while providing funds for tuition, room, board and expenses for travel and cultural enrichment.
Sir John Thouron endowed the Thouron Award in 1960 to promote better understanding and closer friendship between the people of the United Kingdom and the United States.
The award provides fellowships for students from both countries, according to Special Projects Editor of Development Communications Carole Clarke.
The award is now run by Sir John’s son and daughter-in-law.
Competition for the Thouron Award is extremely rigorous, with a minimum GPA requirement of 3.75.
In addition to having strong academic and extracurricular backgrounds, candidates must pass through three different stages of interviews, assessments and presentations.
Decisions are ultimately made by a committee of University faculty members.
Approximately 50 to 60 students apply for the Thouron scholarship each year and generally fewer than six applicants are chosen for the award. Six out of 16 finalists were selected this year. The number of students chosen depends on whether each will be pursuing a one- or two-year graduate degree.
Walker said she plans to defer her admission to the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England for one year.
Walker added that she is excited about completing her master’s degree in creative writing and poetry in England, which will enable her to become certified to teach writing at the college level.
“I really needed a scholarship to go to graduate school, and this is my dream come true,” she said.
The winners of the Thouron Award agreed that the competition for the fellowship was extremely intense and that every applicant chosen possessed superior academic and personal qualities.
Schultz said he was “shocked” when he learned he was chosen for the award. He will complete a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations at Cambridge University next year.
Stoner said Cambridge is also her first choice. She plans to pursue a Master of Philosophy degree in Political Thought and Intellectual History.
And Visser said he will complete a degree in Regional Urban Planning Studies at the London School of Economics.
“This will be an amazing academic experience as well as a great opportunity to be immersed in another culture,” he said.
Approximately 400 to 500 British students have also applied to come to Penn next year with the same scholarship privileges. Eight to 10 students will be accepted for admission next year.
