Scholar Names D-H
Kent DeBenedictis
US University: United States Military Academy
Kent
DeBenedictis of Boca Raton, Florida, is majoring in International
Relations and German. He has worked in the Office of the Secretary of
Defense's Policy branch and the U.S. Army European Headquarters. Kent
also participated in an exchange program at the German Military
Academy. The military positions he has held include Regimental
Operations Officer, Company Commander, and Air Assault School Class
Commander. A future Infantry officer, Kent plans to earn an MA in
European Studies from the University of Birmingham to study the future
of NATO and an MA in War Studies from King's College, London to study
conflict and cooperation from a non-American, non-military perspective.
Rachel Denison
US University: Yale University
Rachel
Denison, of St. Louis, MO, will graduate Phi Beta Kappa from Yale
University with a degree in Cognitive Science. Rachel combines research
experience in topics from Alzheimer's disease to infant cognition with
an interest in public health: she spent a summer studying approaches to
autism in France and led Mind Matters, an undergraduate mental health
group at Yale. Rachel has spoken at a national mental health
conference, produced a television news program, and tutored elementary
school students. She also enjoys playing violin. In the Oxford
Neuroscience MSc program, Rachel will pursue her research interests in
attention, awareness, and perception.
Ajit Divakaruni
US University: University of Arizona
Scottsdale,
Arizona resident Ajit Divakaruni will graduate from the University of
Arizona in May of 2006 with a triple-major in Biochemistry, Mathematics
and Molecular Biology. In addition to his work in mathematical modeling
at Arizona, he has performed research in Cambridge, UK and at Yale
University. Additionally, he has tutored mathematics at various Tucson
high schools, spent a summer volunteering with at-risk youth in
Romania, and has been active in numerous ambassadorial programs at the
UA. Seeking to ultimately develop new therapies to combat diabetes and
obesity, Divakaruni will pursue a PhD in Biochemistry from Cambridge
University studying metabolic regulation.
Patrick Dixon
US University: Occidental College
Born
in Murphysboro, Illinois, Patrick Dixon moved to New Mexico when he was
two, and has been a New Mexican ever since. He will be graduating this
spring from Occidental College, in Los Angeles, California, with a BA
in Mathematics, after transferring from New Mexico State University in
2004. He spent Fall of 2005 studying Mathematics in Budapest, Hungary.
He is part of Occidental's Debate Union, and in November traveled to
Dublin to take part in an international debate tournament on behalf of
Oxy. Patrick plans to pursue a MSc in Mathematical Biology at Oxford,
before going on to pursue a career in public health policy.
Melissa Friedman
US University: State University of New York - Stony Brook
Melissa
Friedman, of Long Island New York, will pursue a DPhil in Atomic and
Laser Physics at Oxford after graduating from Stony Brook University
with a BS in physics. She began her studies in industrial design at the
Rhode Island School of Design. After deciding to major in physics, she
enrolled at Nassau Community College. She received an associate's
degree and transferred to Stony Brook University. Melissa's research
has included work in the laboratories of Nobel Laureates Eric Cornell
of JILA (Boulder, Colorado) and Theodor Haensch of MPQ (Garching,
Germany).
Jamie Gianoutsos
US University: Baylor University
Jamie
Gianoutsos, of Amarillo, Texas, is completing a BA in Political Science
and Great Texts at Baylor University. Chosen as Outstanding Student in
both majors, Jamie focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to political
philosophy. She is writing an honors thesis on John Locke's view of
civic education, has published an article in a peer-reviewed journal,
and co-authored an article in an encyclopedia. Jamie is Baylor's
Electoral Commissioner, a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, a
classically trained pianist, and founder of Kappa Kappa Nu Medieval
Honors Society. At Queen's University, Belfast, Jamie will read for a
Master's degree in "Reconceiving the Renaissance." She also plans to
earn a research Msc in Political Theory at the London School of
Economics.
Shadi Hamid
US University: Georgetown University
In
2004-5, Shadi Hamid was a Fulbright Fellow in Amman, Jordan, conducting
research on Islamist participation in the democratic process. He was
previously Legislative Fellow at the Office of Senator Dianne
Feinstein, where he worked on foreign affairs. His articles on US
foreign policy and Arab politics have appeared, most recently, the
Carnegie Endowment's Arab Reform Bulletin, The Christian Science
Monitor, The Jerusalem Post, The Jordan Times, The Daily Star, and
Insight Turkey. In 2004, Hamid was co-founder of Muslims for John Kerry
as well as the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association. He has also
served as an advisor on Muslim outreach for the Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs at the State Department. A David Boren Fellow,
Hamid is completing his Master's degree at Georgetown University's
Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. At Oxford, he plans to pursue his
D.Phil in Politics, focusing on the role of Islamist parties during
democratic transitions.
Natalie Hand
US University: American University
Natalie graduated from American with a perfect record, receiving
recognition for Outstanding Scholarship. She has studied on an NSEP
Boren Scholarship in Morocco and conducted field research throughout
the Middle East. Natalie interned for Senator Ron Wyden and the Center
for Policy Analysis on Palestine, worked as a research assistant for
publications, served as a teaching assistant for political philosophy
and government courses, and co-captained a Conference-winning
volleyball team. After graduating, she worked on the presidential
campaign as an Oregon/Washington canvass director for the DNC and as a
lead field organizer for MoveOn in Colorado. Currently, she is the
Executive Director of the Institute for Kurds, which she co-founded
with the Barzani family.
Mena Hanna
US University: Temple University
Mena
Hanna, a Senior Music Composition major at the Boyer College of Music
at Temple University, will be graduating May 2006 Summa Cum Laude. He
was awarded a Diamond Scholars grant and an Undergraduate Research
Incentive Fund Grant to support his travels to Italy in 2005 where he
conducted the premieres of a composition on Italian television (RAI).
In 2006, his compositions will be premiered in New York, Philadelphia,
Boston, Los Angelos, and will be featured on an Asian tour. He will
pursue a Mphil in Musicology at Oxford, where he is interested in
studying non-western elements in modern music.
Michael Haynes
US University: Georgia Institute of Technology
Ryan
Haynes is graduating in three years from Georgia Tech in biomedical
engineering focusing in neuroengineering and medical imaging. At Tech,
he developed a system to locally release neurotransmitters onto cells
to study the mechanisms behind learning and memory. At Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta, he helped start a research collaboration between
radiology and neuropsychology to correlate brain tissue atrophy with
cognitive impairment in childhood epilepsy. In addition to research, he
created software to help students master college calculus. Ryan will
study at Cambridge for an MPhil in Nanotechnology Enterprise to help
him turn basic science into life-saving medical solutions.
Jessica Hohman
US University: Miami University of Ohio
Jessica
Hohman, of Copley, Ohio, graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University
as a Harrison Scholar with degrees in Chemistry and History and a minor
in Political Science in 2006. As a Marshall Scholar, she will pursue
her MSc Health Policy, Planning, and Financing at LSE/LSHTM before
attending Harvard Medical School. Selected as a member of the 2006 USA
Today All-USA Academic First Team, Jessica served as an HIV/AIDS Test
Counselor at the Free Clinic and was active on University Senate, the
Honors Student Advisory Board, and Miami MED. Dedicated to achieving
universal health care in this country, she has also taught a proseminar
on US Health Policy, wrote an International Health Systems Primer for
the American Medical Student Association, and interned at the Fogarty
International Center.
Patrice Holderbach
US University: Kansas State University
Patrice
Holderbach will graduate from Kansas State with a major in Print
Journalism, secondary majors in International and American Ethnic
studies and a Leadership Studies minor. Holderbach has studied in
London, promoted tourism in western Kansas and taught English on the
Yucatan. She has edited the Kansas State Collegian and reported for the
Kansas City Star and Scripps Howard Foundation Wire in Washington, D.C.
The Foundation recognized Holderbach as a nationwide "Top 10" scholar.
With aspirations of becoming a foreign correspondent specializing in
ethnic conflict, Holderbach plans to pursue degrees in migration
studies at Oxford and development studies at Sussex.
Rebekah Hurt
US University: Southern Methodist University
Rebekah
Hurt graduates in 2006 as a President's Scholar from Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, having majored in English with a creative writing
specialization. Her primary academic interests involve West African
(especially Ghanaian) publishing development; she has presented her
research most recently at the Reaching the Margins Conference, London.
Rebekah is an administrator of SMU's publications Discourse and
Hilltopics; a member of Phi Beta Kappa; a former NSHSS Student Council
representative; a delegate to the Student Conference on National
Affairs; a member of the Dedman College Dean search committee; and a
Rotunda, National Merit, National Coca Cola, Presidential Freedom,
Claes Nobel, Pascal Covici Jr., and Richter award-recipient. Rebekah
will pursue studies in African literature and post-colonial critical
theory at the University of Birmingham.
