Congratulations, scholars
 |
| Top row, from left: Michael Chmutov, Victoria Reyes, Keith Coleman, Brian Kiel Middle row: Benjamin Jones, Leann Benkart, Bethany Frew, Cullen Naumoff, Stephen Wilkes Bottom row: Liza Toher, Imogen Pryce, Nadia El-Yousseph, Yoonhee Ha, Dana Carney |
Victoria Reyes is the granddaughter of a Filipino military bride--a fact that has shaped not only her personal life, but also her professional ambitions.
"Her strength has always motivated me," Reyes said of her grandmother.
Reyes recently won a Fulbright scholarship; after she graduates next month, she'll head to the Philippines, where she'll spend a year studying Filipino women and their relationships with American servicemen.
She leaves Ohio State with experience in that subject area: As an undergrad, she has studied power, assimilation, and cultural identity among Filipino women who moved to the United States after marrying servicemen.
In addition to her research, Reyes--who is white, Filipina, and Seminole Indian--has sat on the Asian American Studies committee, the Native American Living Learning Program Advisory Council, and the American Indian Student Services Advisory Committee at Ohio State.
Reyes is an outstanding student, and she's in good company at Ohio State. She is one of 16 undergraduate students--all honors students--who has won a top scholarship this year.
Awards such as the Fulbright, Goldwater, and Truman used to be the domain of Ivy League schools, said Dana Vredeveld, coordinator of scholarships and fellowships at the Honors Collegium.
But now, Ohio State is a strong competitor--something that helps both current students and the university.
Students who get awards like these have "pretty much written their ticket to any graduate program they want," Vredeveld said.
The awards also help boost Ohio State's reputation; as students who've won these top honors continue to achieve, they become examples of Ohio State alums who've done something great with their education.
"Ten, 20 years from now," Vredeveld said, "they'll have lord knows how many awards racked up next to their names."
Related links:
The winners
- Fulbright Scholars: Rick Price, Victoria Reyes, Zachariah Baird, and Nadia El-Yousseph.
- Goldwater Scholars: Michael Chmutov and Brian Kiel.
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows: Elizabeth Toher, Imogen Pryce*, and Keith Coleman.
- Ohio Board of Regents Fellows: Dana Carney and Stephen Wilkes.
- Truman Scholar: Yoonhee Ha.
- Udall Scholars: Leann Benkart, Bethany Frew, and Cullen Naumoff.
- Beinecke Scholar: Benjamin Jones.
* Pryce was named a Goldwater scholar last year.
