2004 Marshall Scholars

Josh Siepel Class of 2004 Major: Biochemistry Hometown: Carlsbad, NM

Maya Weilundemo Class of 2004 Major: English Hometown: Jackson, MS

The following article was printed in the Spring 2004 issue of Cum Laude: The Honors and Scholars Newsletter, published by the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships.

'Marshall'ing Success
Texas A&M Honors Students Named 2004 Marshall Scholars

Once the dust settled, it was clear that Texas A&M University seniors Maya Weilundemo and Josh Siepel had accomplished what no other pair of A&M students had done before: they earned recognition, together, as 2004 Marshall Scholars. Their achievement brings great honor to Texas A&M University, the only school in the Houston Region to have two Marshall Scholars this year.

Founded by an Act of Parliament in 1953 to commemorate “the humane ideals of the European Recovery Program” (the Marshall Plan), Marshall Scholarships enable recent graduates to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. This year, forty four students were selected to engage in any field of study at a UK university of their choice. The program allows the Marshall Scholars, who are the “potential leaders, opinion-formers and decision-makers in their own country, to gain an understanding and apprecia-tion of British values and the British way of life.” Each scholarship is held for two years. Former Marshall Scholars have become distinguished in many profes-sions, and have become government dignitaries, pioneers in science, and authors.

This year, Maya and Josh were among more than 150 applicants for the Marshall Scholarship in the Houston Region (including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Colorado). Both joined approximately twenty other students to interview in Houston and just a few days later, they received the good news.

“This process forced me to figure out what I really want out of life,” reported Maya, an English major from Jackson, MS who plans to study Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. When asked what she learned through the process, Maya responded, “What didn’t I learn from this process” and alluded to a “Rocky”-esque training montage featuring her and all of the work that went into preparing her successful application. “After a process as intense as this, with all the good and bad stress that went along with it, I feel ready for just about anything.”

Maya’s involvement at Texas A&M also resembles an endurance training montage. She helped found the first campus chapter of the Green Party and served as Editor-in-Chief for AGORA, an undergraduate journal of the humanities that features work from students from around the country. Maya was also integral in founding the Campus Progressive Coalition, and active in the Honors Student Council and the English Language and Literature Society. She also received a Charles Gordone Award for Second Place in Undergraduate Fiction.

Once she arrives in Great Britain (“I’m going to the UK? I still can’t believe it."), Maya’s first stop will be a football game [that’s soccer to you and me] – “Sure I’ve seen some die-hard Aggie football fans, but I’m eager to explore the pubs of Manchester after a match. Who’s afraid of culture shock?”

Josh Siepel is a genetics major from Carlsbad, NM and is eager to study science and technology policy related to agricultural biotechnology at the University of Sussex. “The process helped me to look at all of the experiences that have brought me to where I am today and gave me the chance to cultivate and extend my interests and passions,” shared Josh when asked what he had learned from the application. “The preparation process gave me a chance to improve the way I present myself and after going through the selection processes for the Marshall, grad school applications will be a piece of cake.” In his application, Josh emphasized the need to foster agricultural biotechnology by enabling a “regulatory system that safeguards the environment and food supply but also allows for innovation.”

“Creation of a system like this will require a humanist with one foot firmly rooted in science and the other in policy – I certainly never intended to find myself in this position – but it’s a role that I wish to play,” Josh continued.

At Texas A&M, Josh has played many roles; as a student leader serving as chair for the L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness, Josh helped to create service and community health initiatives in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. He was involved with Town Hall, the Life Science Learning Community, and MSC Conversations, in addition to being a member of a male a capella group, Free Parking.

Josh’s trip to the UK also holds personal, historical significance – “On my first real excursion, I’d like to go to northern Wales, particularly Hollyhead,” which is the port from which his great-grandparents embarked when they immigrated to the United States.

Both Maya and Josh completed the preliminary selection process coordinated by the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships, which began last March. Students who are interested in pursuing a Marshall Scholarship must submit a preliminary application to our office and, if invited, interview with the Scholarship Selection Committee. If chosen as one of Texas A&M University’s nominations, students then work over the summer to refine his or her application before the October deadline.

Students who are interested in pursuing a Marshall Scholarship should visit the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships website (http://honors.tamu.edu) and read the section titled: National Scholarship Preparation. Interested students are also encouraged to attend an information workshop which will be held during the spring 2004 semester and to read more about the Marshall Scholarship program at its website: www.marshallscholarship.org.