|
Rotary Scholar headed for Oxford
Amanda Stone, a student at Florida State University, will attend Oxford University next year as a result of her $23,000 award from the Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship.
Currently, Stone is finishing up her undergraduate coursework in political science and leadership studies before departing for England in 2008 to pursue a master's degree in African Studies. The Ambassadorial Scholarship Program, a part of the Rotary Foundation, has sponsored nearly 37,000 students from 100 nations, and focuses on humanitarian service, diplomacy and academic excellence. It is the world's largest privately funded international scholarship program.
"As a student at Florida State University, especially through the Center for Leadership and Civic Education, I developed a deep commitment to social justice and civic engagement," said Stone. "The Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship means so much to me because it focuses on the same principles as it aims to build global understanding, a cause very close to my heart. Being placed at the University of Oxford allows me the exceptional opportunity to explore African Studies in one of the best programs in the world, preparing me to continue working for social justice throughout my life. I am honored and thrilled to represent my university and my country in Oxford, England, as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar."
Stone is an Honors Program student with an impressive 4.0 GPA, a Service Scholar, president of the Honors Council, a Freshman Interest Group Leader, and the 2007 FSU President's Humanitarian of the Year. She has conducted field research on women's property rights in Uganda, researched minority rights issues in France through a 2007 Humanity in Action Fellowship, and will spend the winter break conducting archival research in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as a Relatives for Justice Intern.
"While in England, Amanda will also act as an ambassador of goodwill, working to further international understanding and appearing as a representative of the United States at various functions sponsored by Rotary clubs and districts, schools, and civic organizations," said Jamie Purcell, director of the FSU Office of National Fellowships.
Her studies in Oxford will be supported by Rotary District 6940, which covers 25 counties and includes 48 clubs in North Florida stretching from Pensacola to Lake City and south to Chiefland. Stone will have company in England from a fellow Seminole. FSU Student Body President Joseph O'Shea, a Rhodes Scholar, also will be studying at Oxford University.
For more information about the Rotary Foundation visit <www.rotary.org> or Florida State's Office of National Fellowships at <http://onf.fsu.edu>.
|
AUDIO