Senior named Gates Cambridge Scholar

College senior Sonya Davey will be studying at Cambridge University this fall as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, the program announced on Monday.

Davey, one of 40 American added American because 50 are also awarded to international studentsapplicants chosen for the award, is the 24th Penn student to have received this distinction since the program’s founding in 2000.changed from 2001; first scholars went in 2001 but program established in 2000

The scholarship will cover the cost of the tuition for her master’s degree and provide her with additional money for living expenses, Davey said.

At Cambridge, she will pursue a master’s degree in social anthropology,ok building on her studies as a triple major in Biology, Health and Societies and South Asian Studies.

Davey has conducted research on women’s health in India as an undergraduate, specifically on female feticide, or sex-selective abortion.

Davey said that it was this specific research interest that drove her to apply to scholarships for degrees in the United Kingdom since the issue of sex-selective abortion is “not that prevalent in the United States.”

Starting the spring semester of her junior year, Davey began working on her application with a writing advisor through the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. “I think that’s probably what made it a lot easier,” she said.

Davey said she is also looking forward to the opportunity to travel throughout Europe during her time at Cambridge and later hopes to attend medical school to study to become an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.