Scholar Names A-C
Tahir Ahmed
US University: New York University
A
native of Brooklyn, New York, Tahir Ahmed will receive a bachelor's
degree in Neural Science with honors from New York University. A NYU
Presidential Scholar and Samuel B. Morse Scholar, Tahir has conducted
research internationally on topics that have ranged from heart attack
and stroke to astronomy and biomarine conservation in locales as varied
as Hawaii, Ecuador and Madrid. At NYU, Tahir is President of the Senior
Class, and is completing his honors thesis on the role of synaptogenic
molecules in sensory development and neurological diseases. The author
of two research papers published in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Tahir
is also an avid filmmaker, pursuing a degree in digital-filmmaking
concurrently with his neuroscience studies. At the University of
Cambridge, Tahir will pursue a PhD in Neurology.
Jessica Ashooh
US University: Brown University
Jessica
Ashooh was born in New Hampshire, grew up in Manlius, New York, and now
lives in Dublin, Ohio. A senior at Brown University, she majors in
international relations with a focus on global security and Middle
Eastern politics. Drawing on her experience as an election observer in
Lebanon, she is writing her senior thesis on Lebanese democracy.
Jessica has held internships with both the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees and the Cato Institute. An accomplished musician, she is a
cellist in the Brown Orchestra. In addition to her knowledge of Latin,
Jessica speaks Arabic, French, and Spanish.
Rajaie Batniji
US University: Stanford University
Rajaie
Batniji, of Diamond Bar, California, is a third-year medical student at
the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine pursuing
interests in urban-underserved medicine and global health. Rajaie
graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with distinction from Stanford University
in 2003, where he earned BA and MA degrees in History (Middle East) and
served as a Junior and Senior Class President. He interned at the World
Health Organization, authoring a paper on mental and social health in
disaster. Born in Gaza, Rajaie hopes to study international relations
at Oxford, with interests in humanitarian intervention and the Middle
East.
Adam Berry
US University: Emory University
Adam
Berry, a native of Salisbury, Maryland, graduated from Parkside High
School in 2002 and will graduate from Emory with majors in Middle
Eastern Studies and Political Science. When he isn't researching for
his thesis on language and politics in Iran, he divides his time
between serving as vice-president of the College Democrats, a Resident
Advisor, and running the university's chapter of Americans for Informed
Democracy, a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting global
understanding. He will pursue an M.A. in Applied Corpus Linguistics at
Birmingham, and an M.St. in Modern Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford,
with a focus on Iran.
Allison Bishop
US University: Princeton University
Allison
Bishop will graduate from Princeton University with a concentration in
mathematics and a certificate in women and gender studies. A Goldwater
Scholar and runner-up for the Alice T. Schafer Prize, she has done
mathematics research at the Nebraska REU Program and the Director's
Summer Program at the National Security Agency. Her primary
non-mathematical interest is creative writing, and she is currently
working on an introductory mathematics book for undergraduates. She
also sings in the Chapel Choir and plays clarinet in the Wind Ensemble.
At Cambridge, she will complete Part III of the Mathematics Tripos and
then conduct mathematical research.
Maher Bitar
US University: Georgetown University
Maher
Bitar, who grew up in Montreal, Canada, will graduate from the Edmund
A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a
major in International Politics and a certificate in Arab Studies. A
John Carroll Fellow, he founded the Holy Land Christian College
Communities to support the Christians of the Holy Land. Passionate
about youth development, he has served as a counselor at Seeds of
Peace, an international conflict-resolution camp. At Georgetown, he
tutors inner-city youths in German, French and world affairs. In his
spare time, he is an ardent basketball player, enjoys recording
international hip-hop, and performs with a Dabkeh troupe, a traditional
Palestinian dance ensemble. As a Marshall Scholar, Maher plans to study
forced migration at the University of Oxford.
Heidi Boutros
US University: University of Texas - Austin
Heidi
Boutros graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the
University of Texas in 2004 with degrees in Government and Liberal
Arts. A Truman Scholar and Goldman Sachs Global Leader, she has worked
on prison reform in Russia, helped release bonded slaves in India,
co-authored a report on South Africa for the United Nations World
Conference against Racism, and assisted Chief Judge Sir Richard May in
the trial of Slobodan Milosevic. For her senior thesis, she conducted
field research in South Africa on the motives behind the murders of
over 1,000 farmers since 1994. As an undergraduate, Boutros also
published articles on human rights and drafted the University of
Texas's first honor code. Since graduation, she has investigated
felonies on behalf of indigents accused of crimes in District of
Columbia and worked as an intelligence analyst in Washington, D.C.
Boutros will be studying International Relations at Oxford.
Blake Brandes
US University: Wake Forest University
Trilingual
rapper Blake Brandes will graduate from Wake Forest University with a
double major in English and French and three albums under his belt.
Having researched postcolonial youth culture in France and Morocco,
Blake is dedicated to the study of hip-hop culture, literature, and
identity politics. As a student of Irish literature, he has
participated in and rapped at numerous international conferences,
including the James Joyce Summer School and the International
Association for the Study of Irish Literatures. Heavily involved with
Wake Forest's Volunteer Service Corps, president of the a cappella
group Innuendo, editor-in-chief of the Philomathesian Journal on
Liberal Arts, and Academic Chair of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, "DJ
Decryption" also operates a mobile DJ-ing service and facilitates
discussion groups to encourage local low-income students to pursue
higher education. Blake will pursue a double MA in Postcolonial Studies
and Black British Literature at the University of Kent.
Alletta Brenner
US University: University of Oregon
Alletta
Brenner, daughter of Richard and Nellie Sue Brenner, was born and
raised in Forest Grove, Oregon. In 2002, she graduated Valedictorian
from Forest Grove High School. She currently attends the University of
Oregon, and will soon complete degrees in History, Women and Gender
Studies, and Political Science. Outside of academia, Alletta has many
interests, ranging from volunteering in her community to playing piano,
sewing, camping, cycling and rock climbing. At Edinburgh, she plans to
study how non-governmental organizations may help facilitate the spread
of human rights, even when politics and tradition run contrary to such
change.
Stephen Brusatte
US University: University of Chicago
Steve
Brusatte, a resident of Ottawa, Illinois, will graduate from the
University of Chicago in June with a degree in Geophysical Sciences. He
will enroll in the University of Bristol's Palaeobiology MSc program,
and ultimately plans to pursue a career in paleontology and
evolutionary biology. Steve's current research focuses on the anatomy
and evolutionary relationships of African carnivorous dinosaurs, and he
is the author of the book Stately Fossils (2002) and several articles
and papers. Although a winner of the Goldwater Scholarship, a
University of Chicago Student Marshal, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa,
Steve is above all a die-hard White Sox fan who will miss watching
Chicago sports while in England.
Wesley Campbell
US University: University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Jud
Campbell of Blacksburg, Virginia, will graduate in Political Science
and Mathematics from UNC-Chapel Hill in May. He is a Carolina Scholar
and a U.S. Senate Youth Scholar. Jud's research interests include the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S. policy towards Cuba, and early
American history. He is a counsel in the UNC Honor System, a tutor in a
local housing community, and a member of Presbyterian Campus Ministry.
A published genealogist, Jud operated a genealogy research business
while in college. He also enjoys tennis, golf, and carpentry. He will
study international relations at the London School of Economics and
Political Science.
Claire Clelland
US University: University of Portland
Claire
received her BS, biology and BA, philosophy from the University of
Portland in 2005. A recipient of a Jack Kent Cooke graduate fellowship,
Barry M. Goldwater scholarship, and Murdock Fellowship, Claire has
conducted research in behavioral neuroscience as an undergraduate and
as a first year graduate student at the University of California, San
Diego. Claire has ridden her bicycle from Portland, Oregon to Portland,
Maine on a self-sponsored and supported bicycle ride for Alzheimer's
research, served as a US Senate intern for Senator Ron Wyden, and spent
a year studying in Salzburg, Austria and traveling throughout Europe.
In pursuit her of an MD/PhD, Claire hopes to address the problem of
neurodegenerative disease by exploring the therapeutic potential of
stem cells.
Peter Crawford
US University: United States Military Academy
A
native of Houston, Texas, Pete will graduate from the United States
Military Academy with a BS in economics and a commission as an Army
infantry officer. Continuing in his undergraduate field, Pete will
pursue an MPhil in Economics at the University of Oxford. His research
interests include foreign aid and trade in sub-Saharan Africa. At West
Point, Pete has enjoyed being a member of the West Point Parachute
Team, teaching Sunday School, and leading the Domestic Affairs Forum.
His summer activities have included U.S. Army Airborne School and
Operation Crossroads Africa in the Kingdom of Lesotho.
