UC Alumna Anna Fiskin, Former WISE Woman, Receives Prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

Anna Fiskin’s face is a familiar one to many in the UC community.

An image of her sitting amidst a field of flowers has often been used in news about the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Research Experience for Women Undergraduates (REWU) summer program. And now, in addition to being a National Society of Collegiate Scholars member, Cincinnatus Scholar, Honors Scholar and Joyce E. Yeager Scholarship recipient, Fiskin can add “Jack Kent Cooke” Scholar to her list of honors.

“The Jack Kent Cooke (JKC) Graduate Scholarship is a pretty big deal,” says Debbie Brawn, director of programs and administration for the Honors Scholars Program. “Colleges and universities vie to have winners of this scholarship, much like they vie for winners in competitions like the Rhodes Scholarship. It’s very competitive and Anna is the first winner from UC.”

Fiskin just graduated from the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences as a Distinguished Honors Scholar. As a Distinguished Honors Scholar, she met the basic requirements to graduate with honors and also had a GPA of 3.75 or above.

“In order to compete for the scholarship, Anna had to be nominated by UC,” says Brawn. “Applicants cannot apply directly to the JKC Foundation, but rather must participate in our internal competition process and be nominated. Each institution is permitted to nominate up to two candidates.”

Fiskin moved to the United States with her mother in the 1990s from Belarus.

Fiskin came to UC as a 2002 graduate of Walnut Hills High School. She participated in the 2005 REWU program, under the mentorship of Theresa Culley, assistant professor of biological sciences. Fiskin’s nontraditional WISE project was devoted to traditional healing. Her project was called, “Belarusian Medicinal Plants: Traditional Uses and Possible Applications in Western Medicine.”

"Anna Fiskin is an amazing young woman. She is bright and intelligent, very hardworking and focused," says Professor Urmila Ghia, director of the WISE program. "Although soft spoken, pleasant, and always smiling, she is a very determined individual. These qualities are found in other undergraduate women, but what is unique about Anna is the way in which she puts these qualities to work for herself and those around her. For example, when she does  a research project, she does not just do a project, she creates one."

"This is exactly what she did for her WISE research," Ghia notes. "Anna did not just accept a project that was already existing and defined by a faculty member in her area. Instead, she formulated one based on her own interests and strengths. Then she sought a faculty member with a similar interest, who would support her project with the needed expertise. Those efforts led to a successful project. She has continued to work on her project during the ensuing academic year as well. Additionally, Anna has been influenced by her family.  She comes from a family of physicians. When it turned out that her mother could not practice medicine in the US because of her limited language skills, Anna became determined to not only see that her mother learned the language but could actually regain her career.  As a result of the impact of this situation, Anna now volunteers teaching English reading and writing skills to individuals immigrating to the United States. Anna has thus learnt to care deeply about social issues, and speaks passionately about her belief in the society responsibility for caring for others. I expect her to develop into a significant contributing member of society!"

Theresa Culley is equally enthusiastic in her support of her former protégé. "I consider Anna to be an exceptional student who has excelled not only in her studies, but also in her dedication to her education and to making a difference in the world today," says Culley. "In addition to her remarkable intellectual capabilities, Anna is also very courageous, extremely responsible and hard-working, traits that I believe will be indispensable for her future career."

“As a part of my WISE project, I traveled to Belarus and apprenticed myself to a local traditional healer for one month,” Fiskin said in a 2005 interview. “During this time, I documented local plants that are used to treat a variety of medical conditions and I also recorded the specialized collection techniques necessary to maximize the potency of these plants.” In her research, Fiskin used the data she collected to test two hypotheses. The first was that the majority of the plants used by traditional healers during treatment have medicinal compounds. Her second hypothesis was that the medicinal plants that grow in and around Belarusian wetlands are more likely to be on the rare and endangered list than the medicinal plants that grow in other areas (since half of the Belarusian wetlands have been drained in the past four decades).

“Such information is critical because half of the wetland habitats where these plants are found have been destroyed over the past four decades,” she reported, “and hopefully the discovery of medicinally important plants in this area may lead to their conservation. Furthermore, information gathered from such ethnobotanical studies may be helpful in the discovery of new treatments and drugs for medical conditions such as cancer, chronic pain and viral infections.”

Currently, Fiskin is writing a book that details local collection and preparation techniques. She plans to attend Case Western Reserve University for a joint degree program where she will complete medical school and earn a degree in medical anthropology. The scholarship will fund her graduate studies for up to $50,000 per year for up to six years.

"I cannot stress enough what a unique and highly motivated student Anna is," mentor Culley says. "Despite working several jobs and succeeding in her studies, Anna has also volunteered in organizations here on campus as well as at a local hospital. She has been living on her own for the past few years, while her mother attends school as well in another state. I consider Anna Fiskin to be the perfect recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke  scholarship!"
 
For more about Jack Kent Cooke  
 
To learn more about the graduate scholarship
 
Women in Science and Engineering at UC