British
honor two UC Berkeley students with Marshall scholarships
18
Dec 2000
By
Janet Gilmore, Media Relations
Berkeley
- Two University of California, Berkeley, students - an environmental
law scholar and a future doctor - have been awarded prestigious
Marshall scholarships from the British government.
The students,
Celina Yong and Cinnamon Gilbreath, are among six Californians
and 40 students nationwide to receive the honor, considered
one of the highest accolades for college students.
British
Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer announced the scholarship
awards today (Dec. 18). The Marshall scholarships were established
in 1953 by Great Britain in gratitude to the United States
for assistance it provided after World War II under the Marshall
Plan.
The $50,000
scholarships cover tuition and living expenses while the students
spend two years at any United Kingdom university of their
choice. Study will begin in fall 2001.
Yong, a
molecular environmental biology student at UC Berkeley, plans
to pursue a doctorate degree in public health at Oxford University.
The 21-year-old
was raised in Rohnert Park, Calif. She said she is deeply
committed to public service and plans to become a primary
care physician, policy maker and public health specialist.
Yong, currently
a senior at UC Berkeley, is finishing a research project in
which she studied the gastrointestinal tract system of small
snails in the coral reefs off French Polynesia, exploring
the relationship between the gastrointestinal tract and diet.
Gilbreath,
a third-year law student at UC Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt
Hall), plans to study for a master's in environmental change
and management and a master's in law at Oxford University.
Gilbreath,
raised in Waco, Texas, is planning a career in policy development
in the international environmental arena. She said she hopes
to work for an international environmental organization.
She is
editor-in-chief of the law school's prestigious Ecology Law
Quarterly, an environmental policy journal, and has been actively
involved in K-12 volunteer work, teaching children about the
environment.
Marshall
scholarship winners are chosen based on factors that include
their academic excellence, their potential to become leaders
and their interest in society in general.
"Once again
we have selected an exceptional group of American students
to study as Marshall scholars at universities across the United
Kingdom," said Meyer, the British ambassador. "I am sure that
they will enjoy their time in the UK and as they rise to leadership
positions in their chosen fields go on to enhance relations
between our two countries."
Prominent
former Marshall scholars include U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Stephen Breyer, Stanford University law school dean Kathleen
Sullivan, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.
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