Scholar Names A-G

Brian Babcock

US University: United States Military Academy

Brian Babcock of Bowie, Maryland is a senior at West Point, currently researching his thesis on the influence of Clausewitz in Marxist-Leninist thought to finish his double major in history and international relations. He is also a Battalion Commander in the Corps of Cadets, responsible for 500 of his peers. Upon graduation, he will return to Military Intelligence as an officer where he previously served as an enlisted Russian linguist. He plans to read for an MPhil in Russian & East European Studies at Oxford, focusing on Russia's relationships with the Central Asian republics of the Former Soviet Union, having spent part of summer 2001 in Uzbekistan on a Military exchange. Brian is also an instructor on the Mountaineering Team, Though two shoulder reconstructions have generally kept him to more horizontal pursuits in recent times. In his free time, he enjoys reading, travelling, backpacking, and good coffee.

Mindy Baccus

US University: William Jewell College

Even though she may not be able to solve the world's problems, Mindy would like to have a dramatic effect on people's lives. This philosophy underscores her intense interest in community service work, especially projects involving mental health. Her study in the UK will provide the broad base she needs to pursue a PhD in Educational Psychology and a career in educational research and policy making. She hopes to use her research to craft and implement more effective policies and methods in America's schools. She has established the Peer Assistance Network (an all-campus crisis line and an awareness campaign), was co-facilitator and co-founder of a support group for survivors of sexual assault, and has worked as a volunteer in other similar metropolitan organizations. Mindy is a member of CAUSE, (an alcohol awareness task force) and has done volunteer work with schizophrenic patients at Saratoga Psychiatric Facility. She was awarded the Thomas Harris Award for outstanding creative intervention in mental health. Mindy is a member of the National Honors Societies Alpha Lambda Delta and Psi Chi.

Lauren Baer

US University: Harvard University

Lauren Baer is a native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and a senior at Harvard University. A social studies concentration with a focus on international development, Lauren thrives on good books and world travel. She has spent an extended period of time living and working in India and Guatemala. At Harvard, Lauren is Associate Editorial Chair of The Harvard Crimson where she also writes a biweekly column, "Writes and Wrongs". She will use her Marshall Scholarship to pursue an MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford.

Eric Budish

US University: Amherst College

Born and raised in New York City, Eric graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Amherst College with a double major in economics and philosophy, and concentrations in mathematics and computer science. His groundbreaking theoretical and experimental exploration of Internet auctions "English Auctions with Buy Prices: Irrationality on the Internet?" received the Bernstein Prize for best economics thesis and was published in part by the journal Economics Letters. Eric served his campus community in numerous student government positions and was a DJ for the campus radio station. He is currently employed as a mergers and acquisitions investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co, where he has worked on numerous M&A transactions and is a member of the Anti-Raid Team, which is responsible for studying corporate governance issues and the hostile M&A environment, and for aiding transaction teams in raid-prevention and defense. Eric plans to pursue a PhD in economics and become a professor, and one day hopes to pursue entrepreneurial and/or governmental opportunities related to market institutions.

Lionel Foster

US University: Johns Hopkins University

Lionel Foster is a Writing Seminars major at Johns Hopkins University and a graduate of Baltimore City College High School. In 1999 he completed the first of two increments in the US Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. He has spent two summers interning for Merrill Lynch & Company in New York and London respectively. At a local level he values his involvement with PEACE, a Baltimore-based non-profit educating young artists about their role in crafting positive messages through media.

Matthew Frazier

US University: Princeton University

Matthew Frazier from Atlanta, Georgia, was influenced by a cosmopolitan childhood - he lived in Tokyo, London, and Rome all before the age of ten. Graduating from Princeton with a degree in Public Policy, Matthew would like to devote his career to international development and poverty reduction, spending summers working on those very issues with the State Department in Brussels and The Carter Center in Atlanta. At Princeton, he has won awards for academic papers and has served as editor-in-chief of the progressive/liberal magazine as well as spending multiple years training Princeton students to lead a mock Congress for high school students in Washington, DC He is also a campus tour guide. In order to acquire the intellectual equipment to critically examine development policy, he plans to use his Marshall Scholarship to study Philosophy and Economics at the London School of Economics, where he hopes to resume his rowing career.

Esther Freeman

US University: Dartmouth College

Esther Freeman grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and Boothbay, Maine. A competitive skiier, she competed in her first National Championships at the age of 12, and joined the US Freestyle Ski Team at 15. She skied in World Cup competitions throughout her college career at Dartmouth, and sailed for Dartmouth's National Champion women's sailing team. Her interest in health in developing countries was piqued with trips to Kenya and China and work with the Mexico National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She will study at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in preparation for a career in international public health.

Laura Gardner

US University: Rice University

An English/French Studies double major at Rice, Laura cannot wait to return to London, where she spent her junior year. Laura plans to spend her first year pursuing a Master's in London Studies and her second year reading for a Master's in English Literature. Funded by a grant from the Rice University Scholars Program, Laura's current research looks at the reintegration of "fallen women" in Victorian culture. Laura additionally acts as the Student Director of the Rice Women's Resource Center.

John-Paul Ghobrial

US University: Tufts University

Having studied International Relations and French at Tufts, John-Paul Ghobrial remains primarily interested in the way in which indigenous culture influences political and economic development. He has served as a Koch Fellow with the Institute for Humane Studies and has also interned with Defenders of Property Rights, a public interest legal foundation dedicated to the protection of private property rights in the US. Through the Massachusetts Campus Compact he has provided support and assistance to local community service initiatives. As a Marshall Scholar, he will focus on the way in which Arab governments have met the challenge of modern liberalisation while adhering to Muslim political thought.

Joshua Goldman

US University: Cornell University

Joshua Goldman of South Lake Tahoe, California is majoring in physics at Cornell University. A Goldwater Scholar, he can be seen on campus anywhere from teaching physics to performing with the Cornell Percussion Ensemble to speaking about his research experiences, which include archaeological exploration with geophysics at sites in Honduras, Italy, and Mexico. He also enjoys climbing mountains and cross-country skiing at his home in South Lake Tahoe, California. Josh will be taking Part III Maths at the University of Cambridge and will study theoretical condensed matter physics at the University of Edinburgh. He plans to obtain a PhD in Physics and establish himself as a scientist prior to venturing into scientific writing or policy.