UC endorses Rhodes and Marshall candidates

University of Cincinnati student Din Selmanovic, who has been endorsed by UC as a candidate for the Rhodes scholarship, is waiting to hear this week whether he will advance to interviews for one of only two scholarships awarded in the Canadian constituency that covers his hometown of Mississauga, Ontario.

Anna Armao, Caroline Lembright and Grace Lillie, who have been endorsed for the Marshall scholarship, are waiting to hear whether they will advance to the deciding round of interviews in Ohio’s 13-state region for that award.

These high-profile, full-ride scholarships, which recognize academic excellence, leadership potential and community engagement, can go to only a tiny handful of the outstanding students who apply. Each year, no more than 100 Rhodes scholarships are awarded around the globe for graduate study at Oxford University. Only 40 to 50 Marshall scholarships are awarded each year for U.S. students to pursue graduate study at universities in the United Kingdom.

“Both Rhodes and Marshall ask that, as an institution, we interview students and decide whom we want to send forward as our University of Cincinnati nominees,” said Director Jenny Hyest of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards.

“A university endorsement is an acknowledgement of everything that the students have accomplished up to this point," she said. "It is also an expression of confidence in their potential: We believe they will go forward to do great things. These students embody not only the ideals of the scholarships but also those of the University of Cincinnati.”

Unlike Oscar nominees, the UC candidates don’t know exactly when the finalists will be notified. And unlike Oscar nominees who unconvincingly say that it’s an honor just to be nominated, these four have very good reasons to confirm that the grueling application process is absolutely worth it, even though any individual’s chance of winning is so small.

For the past six months or more, the four have been working with the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards to identify graduate study opportunities that will let them pursue their dreams.

This is UC’s fellowship advising office that focuses on matchmaking between students and the scholarships and graduate programs that will be the best fit for their passions and their talents. That matchmaking process happens through an intensive series of one-on-one conversations between Hyest and each student to pinpoint the student’s interests and strengths and identify the best options for programs and fellowships.

Din Selmanovic, the 2019 Rhodes candidate, is a neuroscience major with a concentration in neurobiology, with minors in medical science and biology and a pre-med certificate. His research is on sex-linked factors in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.  

He became fascinated with neuroscience as a high school acting student.

“We did a very in-depth lesson about how laughing and crying are the exact same action, just two different sides of the spectrum. About understanding what emotion is like in the brain," he said.

"I really fell into loving neuroscience. My biology teacher in high school kind of realized that; she really pushed me into during a neuroscience degree.”

Selmanovic has been a leading voice in other student-athlete and student mental health initiatives at UC, using the visibility of varsity games to promote resource awareness and wellness messages.

Selmanovic’s parents came to Canada as refugees from the war in Bosnia, so he grew up with strong ties to Europe. It was natural for him to look at European universities for his postgraduate work. Through the Rhodes scholarship, he hopes to apply to the DPhil program in clinical neurosciences at Oxford to continue his Alzheimer’s research.

The Rhodes scholarship is the oldest global fellowship, founded in 1902 through a bequest from British businessman and imperial statesman Cecil J. Rhodes. The scholarship funds postgraduate study at Oxford for students with outstanding records of academic excellence, service, teamwork, leadership and moral force of character, or willingness to “fight the world’s fight.”

That motto resonates with Selmanovic quite personally. “Privilege,” he quotes his father, “is not about what you go through but about what you haven’t had to go through.”

UC students were named Rhodes scholars in 1917, 1925, 1935 and 1938.

Anna Armao is in her last semester as a University Honors Program student and Lindner Honors-PLUS scholar in business economics, with a minor in environmental analysis and policy.

Through the Marshall scholarship program, she hopes to pursue an MSc in science and technology policy at the University of Sussex and then in climate change, management and finance at Imperial College London.

The Marshall scholarship was founded by an act of the British Parliament in 1953 to foster close relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. It funds postgraduate study at leading UK universities for US students of outstanding academic merit and leadership potential to immerse themselves in British culture and act as lifelong ambassadors between the two countries.

UC has had one previous Marshall winner.

Armao’s passion is data analysis, which she hopes to direct into climate change research at a policy institute focusing on the intersection of economics and energy policy.

Armao is accustomed to using her data analysis skills to effect social change. In her freshman year, she co-founded Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations. One of the volunteer group’s first nonprofit clients was the remodeled Central Parkway YMCA.

Caroline Lembright is a political science and international affairs major, with minors in women’s, gender and sexuality studies and Spanish. Through the Marshall scholarship, she hopes to pursue an MA in conflict transformation and social justice at Queens University Belfast and then an MSc in comparative social policy at Oxford.

Her academic studies, community engagement and political and social advocacy have centered around equity and inclusion for vulnerable and marginalized groups. She has interned with a US Senator and worked and volunteered in local and national political campaigns and voter registration initiatives. She is a doula for Planned Parenthood.

At UC, she has served as a senator-at-large in UC student government. She was co-chair of the student government Equity and Inclusion Committee, mentor in the student government mentorship program, Pride ambassador for the LGBTQ center, member of Women in Leadership and Learning, and president of the UC College Democrats.

One of her passion projects has been a program she headed to stock free menstrual products in women’s and gender-neutral restrooms across campus.

“I just really strongly believe that it’s important," Lembright said. "I’ve talked to many people, I’ve conducted surveys: Would you see an increase in your attendance of classes? Would you feel more supported? Would you feel like the culture of the university supported you better if there were free menstrual products available for you on campus?

"And the answer has always been yes. This is just an ongoing problem. Other students have tried [similar initiatives] in the past. It took a year and a half and a lot of work but it’s happening. It’s happening now.”

Grace Lillie is a mechanical engineering major, University Honors Program student and Aspire scholar. Her Aspire mentor, DAAP Adjunct Associate Professor Terry Grundy, suggested that she look into a program at the University of Cambridge when she was exploring graduate programs in sustainability.

“I’ve really enjoyed being able to serve as Grace’s Aspire mentor," Grundy said. "We’ve been able to share many good conversations, through which I’ve gained an appreciation for her intellectual curiosity, her rock solid ethical values, her ability to focus and concentrate and her taste for adventure. I know [Cambridge] well enough to know that she will do very well there—and I believe that the sustainable development program on which she has her eye will help launch her into a career that will align with her moral convictions and through which she’ll make significant contributions.”

Through the Marshall scholarship program, Lillie hopes first to pursue an MPhil in engineering for sustainable development at the University of Cambridge and then an MSc in sustainability and consultancy at the University of Leeds. Alternatively, she plans to apply for a Gates-Cambridge Scholarship to pursue the Cambridge degree.

Like Armao, Lillie got her introduction to European sustainability technology and policy through undergraduate study abroad. She had never been on a plane before she took a University Honors Program study tour and an engineering global technical workforce class to Scotland, where she saw those initiatives in the field as well as in the classroom.

 “The UK is generally better at sustainability than the U.S.," Lillie said.

"A lot of traditional programs [here] didn’t really have what I wanted. The one at Cambridge was very unique. It combined engineering with sustainability, whereas a lot of the programs in America are either just engineering or environmental studies and policy. For the second year [with the Marshall scholarship] I want to go to Leeds to learn more about consultancy and management. They have a lot of field courses and industry connections to benefit from. I don’t want to just take classes — I want to have an experience.”

The importance of mentors is a common thread that runs through all the students’ stories of pursuing highly competitive fellowship opportunities.

“I think that’s made a world of difference for me,” Lembright said. “Encouragement from people I have connections with on campus saying, ‘I think you’d be a good fit for this, I think you should apply, and if you need any support, please let me know.’”

One of Lembright’s biggest mentors has been Angela Fitzgerald, former director of the UC Women’s Center. Lembright met her in 2016 while working on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

“Angie encouraged me to run for student government and apply for the Truman Scholarship last year," Lembright said. "I distinctly remember her sitting me down my sophomore year and creating a calendar event six months in advance to talk to her about the scholarship.”

Lillie agrees: “Having that faculty support is really encouraging, because without that, it’s very daunting and intimidating. Can I really do this very impressive thing? Am I ready, am I qualified? It’s hard to just do that on your own.”

During the application process, the candidates gain another mentor in Hyest.

“Dr. Hyest was amazing," Armao said. "She would read the drafts [of the application essays] and send really detailed feedback, which made it a lot easier. She was doing that for all of us, and that’s saying a lot, because that’s not all she does. She runs workshops, meets with other students who are interested, goes to conferences, all of that. Having people that are dedicated to getting you to that place motivates you to get through the stressful parts.”

Lillie said she deeply appreciated Hyest's help.

“Definitely. To be able to just send her an email with my draft and then get that feedback, and to be able to schedule a phone call if I needed more direct back and forth," she said.

"I went through four or five drafts at least to get through all the essays—five drafts of five essays. She would take so much time to read them and really ask those hard, deep questions, digging into what is motivating you, why do you want to do this?"

Even for students who (as Lembright puts it) “self-select” for demanding academic and activist lives, the nationally competitive awards application process is a lot of work and a lot of pressure with a small probability of success. Still, all four of this year’s candidates find value in having gone through it.

“Even if I don’t get [the Marshall], it’s been such a really good reflective and rewarding experience, being able to clarify what I want to do," Lillie said.

"I now have this better idea of who I am, who I’ve become and how the different aspects of college have influenced me. How my career goals are shaping before me.”

“Something that encouraged me was that, although it’s an extremely competitive award, we would get more out of it than just the chance of receiving it," Armao said. "We worked on it so much, going through it and thinking about, what do I want to be doing? What’s important to me? And having those contacts with faculty and people you’ve worked for are so beneficial in other things we’re trying to do after we graduate. So that made it worthwhile for me even though I know it’s such a low percent chance for any one person to receive the award.”

Selmanovic adds that there are practical advantages, too, in having applied.

“It’s nice, because now I’m applying to grad schools here and at other schools in the UK for my PhD, and they only require three recommendation letters [compared to the eight he had to get for the Rhodes]. It’s nice to have a backup so you don’t have to stress if you want to go to grad school or med school or whatever else.”

Lembright says that the process opened up an unexpected future for her.

“I thought that the intersections of my interests were really niche and that no one else really cared about these things," she said. "There are entire programs built on these! It just so happens that they’re not here, but they’re out there.”

One of Lillie’s mentors, UC Professor Emerita of Mechanical Engineering Urmila Ghia, says she always encourages her students to apply for competitive fellowships like the Marshall or Rhodes if they have the qualifications.

"Even if they don’t win, I say, you will learn so much about yourself and you will discover what you want to do and how you want to do it," Ghia said. "Because you have to present a plan, you have to present a goal, and that’s something that we normally don’t do in our everyday work.

“It’s like writing a proposal. The process of preparing the proposal is very informative and very educational. You have to do a lot of background research, you have to put together some seed results, you get to know the university system of how to submit a proposal. And all that comes very handy in your professional career.”

Hyest said the effort is worthwhile.

“There are benefits to this intensive period of reflection, analysis and synthesis, the kind of consolidation of oneself that you get to do," she said. "You’re thinking about, what have I done here, what have I learned, what are the skills that I have developed, what are the communities that I have moved in? How do those reflect the things that matter most to me? What are the values that have driven that work?

“You’re inventing who you are to a certain extent. Invention not in the sense that you’re making something up, but you’re really claiming that self. You’re understanding who you’ve been and casting into the future to imagine who you’ll become.”

“I’ll often hear students say that even at this point, just before they’re heading into their senior year, sometimes the application process causes them to shift their understanding of what they might be doing and what their future could look like. It’s a powerful moment to be doing this kind of work for that very reason, because they’re about to launch out. Because they need to project into the future and offer this really clear vision of what they could go on to do.

“And ultimately, I think that’s what these scholarship foundations are looking for. They’re looking for candidates who have a vision. Everyone understands that the students can and likely will pivot from the plans they describe. But it also it’s hard to take your first step forward if you don’t have a direction. So go ahead and take that step.”

Featured image: Grace Lillie, Din Selmanovic, Anna Armao, and Caroline Lembright. Photo by Natalie Ochmann.