A pair of Penn seniors were awarded two of the world's most prestigious scholarships.
College and Wharton senior Brett Shaheen is one of 32 American Rhodes scholars who will receive a full scholarship to England's Oxford University next September.
College and Wharton senior Aziza Zakhidova will receive a Marshall scholarship for study at a British university next fall.
"Penn is finally winning its fair share of these awards and winning them regularly," said Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Director Arthur Casciato, who helped both students through the application process. "It's where we should be."
This year marks the second in the University's history in which students have won both Marshall and Rhodes scholarships -- awards which Casciato said are some of the nation's most competitive. In 2000, one student won each award.
Marshall scholarships went to two Penn students last year.
Casciato said that the number of Penn applications for these awards has soared in recent years. Thirty-five Penn students applied for the Marshall and 39 for the Rhodes.
Both Zakhidova and Shaheen plan to pursue "development studies" -- the analysis of the economies of developing nations. This field, Shaheen said, is one of academia's hottest.
Shaheen said his interest in microcredit -- the lending of small amounts of money to people in impoverished communities -- developed when he spent last summer in Roya Kottai, a small village in India. He worked to help residents, including many women without financial independence, receive small loans from banks.
"Giving women access to credit is important to leverage the entrepreneurial spirit," Shaheen said. It helps them "lift themselves out of poverty."
At Oxford, Shaheen wants to study the "policy level" of microcredit programs. But his plans, he said, are subject to change.
"I'm going to Oxford with an open mind," he said.
While Zakhidova is interested in similar work, her interest in the economies of central Asia is personal. A native of Uzbekistan who spent a semester studying abroad in Japan, Zakhidova hopes to spearhead new interdisciplinary programs in development studies at Penn.
"Understanding development will help me become a better decision-maker," she said.
When Zakhidova took a class from Legal Studies professor Phillip Nichols, she said she was inspired by his trademark catchphrase: "The world is a wonderful place."
As she prepares to spend the next two years in England, Zakhidova said those words will guide her.
"If one goes in with that attitude, it is a very positive effort," she said.
Past winners - 2004 College graduate David Ferreira won a Rhodes scholarship to study law and jurisprudence - 2005 graduates Harveen Bal and Gabriel Mandujano both won Marshall scholarships for development studies and Latin-American politics, respectively
