Scholar Names A-C
Bhooma Aravamuthan
US University: Michigan State University
Bhooma
Aravamuthan graduated with honors from Michigan State University in
three years with a Bioethics specialization and degrees in Biochemistry
and Physiology. She is the recipient of a full-ride scholarship to MSU
and the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Bhooma has conducted research
in a variety of settings and has researched topics ranging from
anticoagulant stent coatings to seal distribution in Antarctica. Bhooma
is also actively involved in hospital fundraising, student recruitment,
student government, dance choreography, and Asian Pacific American
awareness efforts. Ultimately, Bhooma plans on becoming a medical
scientist researching neurodegenerative disease. She will conduct
Parkinson's Disease research at Oxford.
Ankur Bahl
US University: Northwestern University
Ankur
Bahl graduated from Northwestern University in 2003 with a B.S. and
M.S. in Journalism. The son of Indian immigrants, he has always been
interested in the issues of migrant populations. At Northwestern, Ankur
produced a documentary on Serbian and Bosnian immigrants in Chicago,
and followed this with an investigative report on INS discrimination
against Chicago's Pakistani population. Ankur grew up in Santa Clara,
CA, studying the Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam and was the first
American-born male to complete an Arangatram, or solo dance debut. As a
Fulbright Scholar in France Ankur is studying ballet and modern dance
and developing choreography that fuses eastern and western dance
traditions to mimic the dual identities that characterize the immigrant
experience. As a Marshall Scholar, Ankur will pursue an MA in Migration
and Diaspora Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies and
an MA in Performance from Goldsmiths College. A member of the U.S.
national Jump Rope Team, Ankur is also a three-time national champion
and is the current World Jump Rope Champion.
Harveen Bal
US University: University of Pennsylvania
Harveen
Bal, a resident of Bloomfield, New Jersey, will graduate from the
University of Pennsylvania with a major in Health and Societies,
concentrating in International Health, and minors in psychology and
chemistry. A Trustee and University Scholar, Goldman Sachs Global
Leader and Phi Beta Kappa member, Harveen's interest in international
health developed during summers working in Ghana and India. On campus,
Harveen leads wilderness trips, gives tours, and does research on the
impact of migration on the diets of Indian women. After receiving an
M.Phil in Development Studies from Oxford University, she will attend
medical school and pursue a career in international development.
Jacob Bourjaily
US University: University of Michigan System - Ann Arbor
After
three years at the University of Michigan, Jacob Bourjaily will
graduate with honors degrees in Mathematics and Physics, having
virtually exhausted the graduate curricula in both fields. Around his
busy course schedules, Jacob has found time to publish research in
supersymmetric dark matter cosmology and high energy particle physics
phenomenology, presenting results at several international conferences
and universities. A Goldwater Scholar, he became the first
undergraduate student to be elected an associate member of the Michigan
Center for Theoretical Physics. As a member of the ATLAS collaboration
Jacob spent two summers at the Center for European Nuclear Research
(CERN) in Gene, Switzerland and has attended conferences and schools
in Marseille, Paris, Vienna, Erice, Edinburgh, and Chicago. He enjoys
jazz, playing guitar, poetry, Shakespeare, swordplay, and reading
historical math and physics texts. At Cambridge, Jacob will take Part
III of the Maths Tripos before conducting research in theoretical
physics.
Ambika Bumb
US University: Georgia Institute of Technology
After
three years in the Georgia Institute of Technology's biomedical
engineering department, Ambika Bumb is graduating with a concentration
in Cell and Tissue Engineering and a minor in Economics. While
interning at GE Healthcare, she helped diagnose a blood pressure issue
at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, saving time that could mean the
difference between life and death. She is active in the service
fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, Mock Trial, the Indian dance team Nazaaqat,
and is the Undergraduate Student Body Treasurer. By studying in the
NIH-Oxford program, Ambika aspires to eventually be at the crux of the
development and enterprise of medical technology to make research
practical.
Sheena Chestnut
US University: Stanford University
Originally
from Spokane, Washington, Sheena Chestnut will graduate from Stanford
University in June 2005 with a degree in political science and honors
in international security studies, where her senior honors thesis
explores North Korean involvement in transnational crime and potential
implications for nuclear smuggling. She spent this summer interning at
London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, and has
previously worked at the Brookings Institution and Stanford's Institute
for International Studies. At Oxford, she will read for the MPhil in
international relations before pursuing a career in academia and public
service. A creative writing minor, she has taught writing on campus and
tutors at Hope House, a recovery facility for women transitioning out
of the California criminal justice system. In her spare time, she
enjoys drinking coffee with her friends, running, theater, travel, and
Scottish Highland Dancing.
Tarun Chhabra
US University: Stanford University
Tarun
Chhabra, of Shreveport, Louisiana, is currently Associate in the
Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. He was
previously Research Officer for the Secretary-General's High-level
Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. Tarun has been a Fulbright
Fellow in the Russian Federation and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from
Stanford University, where he studied Slavic languages and literature,
earned honors from the Center for International Security and
Cooperation (CISAC) and directed the public service fellowships
programs of Stanford in Government. Tarun plans to study international
relations at the University of Oxford.
Jay Choi
US University: United States Military Academy
Jay has enjoyed his time at the Academy. He has learned helicopter
operations, trained 120 incoming freshmen, and spent two months in a
West African hospital. He held various positions within the Corps but
has found small group leadership the most satisfying. While taking care
of subordinates, Jay discovered his passion for people. He eagerly
awaits studying international medicine and infectious disease at
Imperial College-London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine. Furthermore, he hopes to apply his degrees in public health
and infectious disease as an Army physician.
Katie Clark
US University: Tulane University
Katie
will graduate from Tulane in May, having majored in four areas:
History, Medieval Studies, Latin, and French. Her academic interests
include interdisciplinary approaches to the study of history, and her
current research project focuses on the role of visuality, sight, and
the sacred image in late medieval Italian devotion. Involved in
numerous on-campus activities, Katie is also a classically-trained
harpist, a competitive ballroom dancer, and President of her college's
Honor Board. She will read for a MSt/MLitt in Historical Research
(Medieval) and History from the Faculty of Modern History at Oxford.
Sarah Cook
US University: Pomona College
Sarah
Cook, who grew up in the United States and Israel, will graduate with a
major in International Relations and a minor in French. A Lewis and
Clark College Pamplin Society Fellow, she served there and at the
Claremont Colleges as president of the Amnesty International chapter.
She was twice an NGO delegate to the United Nations Human Rights
Commission meeting in Geneva, and also writes for The Epoch Times
newspaper. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and practicing Falun
Gong, a Chinese mind-body meditation practice. Sarah will pursue two
master's degrees in Middle East Politics and Violence, Conflict and
Development at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Virginia Corless
US University: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Virginia
Corless was born outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but has called
Missouri, Georgia, Texas, California, Alaska, and Massachusetts home,
the frequent moves a result of her father's career as a historian with
the National Park Service. She will trade one Cambridge for another
this fall when she continues her study of physics at the University of
Cambridge in England, after receiving her SB degree in Physics with a
minor in Applied International Studies from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in June 2005. Virginia spends most of her spare time on
the theatrical stage, learning to view the world through the eyes of
another, or in travels, seeing different sides of the world through her
own eyes. She hopes to unite her passions for history, theater,
language, and science together to shape culturally aware,
scientifically grounded, socially responsible policies for the
developing world.
Matthew Crim
US University: University of Georgia
Pursuing
undergraduate degrees in cellular biology and political science, Matt
plans to marry the disciplines with a career in medicine and health
policy. Matt has experienced international medicine through volunteer
work at rural hospitals in Tanzania and Thailand. At the University of
Georgia, Matt conducts immunology research on tropical diseases,
presents biological security issues to local high school students, and
serves on the executive council of the University Judiciary. Matt also
sings with several choral groups and enjoys athletics. In Britain, Matt
will study public health and health policy at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the London School of Economics.
Patrick Cunningham
US University: Princeton University
Patrick
Cunningham, a proud Stow, Ohio native, will focus on English literature
of the 19th and early 20th centuries while at the University of Oxford.
A Creative Writing student at Princeton, Pat won departmental awards
for fiction writing in each of his first three years. A winner of the
Ward Prize, he was also the first student to receive an A. Scott Berg
'71 Scholarship as an underclassman. Former editor-in-chief of Tiger
Magazine and an editor of the Nassau Weekly magazine, Pat continues to
serve as a member of his school's Undergraduate Honor Committee. A
stand-up comedian who regularly performs in dives, dumps and
out-and-out houses of disrepute, he was a founding officer of the
Princeton University Stand-up Comedy Club. With great anticipation, Pat
looks forward to setting up shop in one of Oxford's finest pubs and
becoming--after much devotion and hard work--a 'colourful regular.
