Scholarship Winners 2021
Thanks to your donations, the Straus Historical Society is pleased to announce that Danielle Bertaux, Dillon Cooke, Iris Hinh and Miriam Israel have been selected to each receive a $5,000 Straus Scholarship. The Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program was created with the goal of supporting the continuing education of a graduate student whose professional goal is in the field of public service.
Danielle Bertaux
Danielle Bertaux is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where she is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy with a concentration in Public International Law and Human Security focused in Latin America. She is specializing her studies on human rights and she is particularly interested in learning about gender-based violence and sexual violence in situations of armed conflict and humanitarian crises. She aspires to join the U.S. Department of State as a political officer in a specialized track as a human rights officer. She hopes to focus on gender-based issues and problems of sexual violence including sex trafficking and femicide.
Dillon Cooke
Dillon Cooke is a graduate student at American University where he is seeking a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy with elements of healthcare policy, international management, and regulatory administration. He hopes that his work will effect the reorientation and prioritization of foreign aid funding in a manner that proactively targets the causes of emerging issues, including climate change, immigration, and international security, with public investments rather than responding to the symptoms of these issues. After completing his degree, he hopes to secure a full time job with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where he can most effectively apply his analytical skills and research background to implement policy change on a systemic scale.
Iris Hinh
Iris Hinh is a graduate student at the Teachers College at Columbia University where she is seeking a Masters Degree in Politics and Education. She is developing her academic foundation in preparation for policy leadership roles within government agencies, foundations, and research. She hopes to work in Washington DC to integrate conducting original research with advocacy to both policymakers and individuals for broader impact on the education system. She also plans to obtain her teaching credential for middle or high school history and government, as she believes that educators are often the most influential actors on students’ academic achievement and well-being.
Miriam Israel
Miriam Israel is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where she is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy and a Masters of Theological Studies with a concentration in International Development and Environmental Policy and Gender and Intersectional Analysis. She believes that the biggest problem facing society is climate change, and specifically, the way that a changing climate will disproportionately impact women, young people, ethnic, religious, and indigenous minorities and other marginalized communities. She hopes to work with communities around the world to address climate change, helping prepare faith communities to be leaders on issues like conservation and sustainability and giving local leaders tools to address climate change.
The scholarship committee and the judges are pleased to announce these applicants as Honorary Straus Scholars for 2021: Kelly Boehms, Alexis Cheney, Liana Kabins, Sara Lodgen, Christopher Tingley.
Scholarship Winners 2020
Thanks to donations to SHS, the Straus Historical Society is pleased to announce that Corey Best, Caitlin Flynn and Kristy Kwon have been selected to each receive a $5,000 Straus Scholarship. The Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program was created with the goal of supporting the continuing education of a graduate student whose professional goal is in the field of public service. To read their applications essays, click here.
Corey Best
Corey Best is a graduate student at American University’s School of International Service where he is pursuing a master’s degree in International Affairs with a concentration in Global Governance, Politics and Security. Corey feels public service is a calling for which he has been preparing is entire life. He asks the question, “Why?” as a guiding light on his journey. Corey’s background is quasi-military, having joined the Civil Air Patrol at 12 and participated in the Air Force ROTC program at Ohio University. These disciplined, value-based, task oriented, experiences have prepared him for a life of public service. He wrote, “The opportunity to contribute to the field of public service would be nothing short of an honor and privilege.”
Caitlin Flynn
Caitlin Flynn is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where she is preparing for a degree in Gender Analysis and Human Security. From a young age, Caitlin has believed in the importance of public service and education. Her experiences in the Peace Corps in Benin as a secondary school English teacher reinforced her ambition to make a difference through effective thoughtful, nuanced, data driven programming. During her studies at Tufts University, she’s “honed her research skills, studied theoretical frameworks and has identified several steps for addressing barriers for education.” She anticipates that her graduate studies, aided by the SHS scholarship, will ensure that her positive intentions produce equally positive impacts.
Kristy Kwon
Kristy Kwon is a graduate student at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs where she is preparing for a career in Public Administration with a concentration in Economics. She hopes to begin her career in the United States Department of Education’s Office of Evidence-Based Practices as a research analyst. Kristy feels she is uniquely qualified to help people from underprivileged communities because she moved to the United States with her family as a child and experienced first-hand the difficulties for immigrants who do not speak the language and are unable to find adequate living conditions or nourishing food. She is particularly interested in how economic analysis and human rights organizations can collaborate to produce research for firms to devise reasonable standards in the workplace and to suggest steps to reduce gender discrimination.
The scholarship committee and the judges are pleased to announce these applicants as Honorary Straus Scholars for 2020: Gabrielle Robertson, Benjamin Drolet, Crystal Avila, Garrett Berghoff, Ihechiluru Esuruonye and Matthew Tyler Dean.
Scholarship Winners 2019
Elizabeth Alexion
The Straus Historical Society is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Alexion of Brooklyn, NY and Elizabeth Hutcheson of Dublin, OH have been selected to each receive a $5,000 Straus Scholarship. The Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program was created with the goal of supporting the continuing education of a graduate student whose professional goal is in the field of public service. Elizabeth Alexion and Elizabeth Hutcheson are the second and third recipients of the Straus Scholarship.
Elizabeth Alexion is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where her focus is International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; and Gender Analysis in International Studies. She was a Peace Corps Intern in Ethiopia, teaching secondary education working for women’s protection and empowerment. Elizabeth hopes to pursue a career in foreign policy as it relates to conflict resolution and sustainable peace-building.
Elizabeth Alexion is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where her focus is International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; and Gender Analysis in International Studies. She was a Peace Corps Intern in Ethiopia, teaching secondary education working for women’s protection and empowerment. Elizabeth hopes to pursue a career in foreign policy as it relates to conflict resolution and sustainable peace-building.
Elizabeth Hutcheson
Elizabeth Hutcheson is a graduate student at American University whose focus is on Global Migration and International Policy. Elizabeth has had extensive experience tutoring Spanish and Arabic speaking children one-on-one with an emphasis on reading skills. She implemented Global Classrooms, a Model UN program, as a Fulbright Scholar. She plans to work in the public sector, addressing the most pressing challenges and opportunities on international migration
The scholarship committee and the judges are pleased to announce these applicants as Honorary Straus Scholars for 2019: Bonnie Delaune, Columbia University; Nicholas Cicchinelli, Tufts University; Sophia Ng, Columbia University; Kelly Fagerman, Columbia University.
The scholarship committee and the judges are pleased to announce these applicants as Honorary Straus Scholars for 2019: Bonnie Delaune, Columbia University; Nicholas Cicchinelli, Tufts University; Sophia Ng, Columbia University; Kelly Fagerman, Columbia University.
Scholarship Winner 2018
Rachel King
The Straus Historical Society is pleased to announce that Rachel King of Liberty Township, Ohio, has been selected to receive a $5,000 Scholarship.
A graduate student of American University in Washington, D.C., Ms. King impressed an independent award committee with her essay and resume, which includes a five-year contract with the Foreign Service as a Pickering Fellow after her expected graduation in 2019. She has proven eminently qualified for the Straus Scholarship Program, and the Straus Historical Society is proud to award this scholarship to Ms. King.
The Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program was created with the goal of supporting the continuing education of a graduate student whose professional goal is in the field of public service. Rachel King is the first recipient of the Straus Scholarship.
Ms. King received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University where she participated in summer service trips to Uganda, Israel and Cambodia, as well as an internship for World Vision in Washington, D.C. Ms. King is a Fulbright Scholar currently attending graduate school at American University. Using a grant from her Fulbright scholarship, she lived and taught in rural Malaysia for a year. Ms. King plans to become a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department after graduate school. In her application, Ms. King stated that she hopes: “…to draw greater attention to the compelling crossovers between diplomacy and development fields, to urge policymakers to prioritize development as a diplomacy tool, and to facilitate stronger collaboration and coordination across religious, political and nonprofit leaders.”
A graduate student of American University in Washington, D.C., Ms. King impressed an independent award committee with her essay and resume, which includes a five-year contract with the Foreign Service as a Pickering Fellow after her expected graduation in 2019. She has proven eminently qualified for the Straus Scholarship Program, and the Straus Historical Society is proud to award this scholarship to Ms. King.
The Straus Historical Society Scholarship Program was created with the goal of supporting the continuing education of a graduate student whose professional goal is in the field of public service. Rachel King is the first recipient of the Straus Scholarship.
Ms. King received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University where she participated in summer service trips to Uganda, Israel and Cambodia, as well as an internship for World Vision in Washington, D.C. Ms. King is a Fulbright Scholar currently attending graduate school at American University. Using a grant from her Fulbright scholarship, she lived and taught in rural Malaysia for a year. Ms. King plans to become a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department after graduate school. In her application, Ms. King stated that she hopes: “…to draw greater attention to the compelling crossovers between diplomacy and development fields, to urge policymakers to prioritize development as a diplomacy tool, and to facilitate stronger collaboration and coordination across religious, political and nonprofit leaders.”