The Mitchell Scholarship
Photos from reception by Carol Clayton:
The US-Ireland Alliance announced the 12 members of the George J. Mitchell Scholar Class of 2021 after interviews were held in Washington, D.C. today.
Members of the class include an animator, the founder of Chess for Girls in New York City, the Chief of Staff to the Maryland House Judiciary Committee, an artificial intelligence researcher, and the 2015 Canadian Junior Figure Skating National Champion.
The Scholarship, which sends future American leaders to the island of Ireland for a year of graduate study, was created by the founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance, Trina Vargo, and is named in honor of Senator George J. Mitchell’s contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process.
A reception for the finalists and alumni was hosted by the Irish Embassy on Friday evening. Carolina Chavez, the Director of the Mitchell Scholarship Program welcomed guests and introduced the finalists. Ireland’s Deputy Ambassador to the US, Emer Rocke, noted, “Having met the current cohort of Scholars in Dublin and reading the applications of those looking to take part next year, it is very clear that the caliber of student that the scholarship attracts is nothing short of excellent - that each of the young people involved is already having a significant impact on the world around them and striving to make it a better place.”
Candidate interviews were held at the Doyle Collection’s Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, D.C. In addition to Deputy Ambassador Rocke, members of the selection committee included Justin McCarthy, Senior Vice President at the Patient & Health Impact group at Pfizer; Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, of the Ohio Supreme Court; Dr. Marc O Griofa, Chief Medical Officer, Simulocity and Principal Investigator, CASPER; Cóilín Parsons, Associate Professor of English, Georgetown University; Elizabeth Rosenthal, Editor-in-Chief, Kaiser Health News and author of An American Sickness; and Paula Volent, Chief Investment Office and SVP, Bowdoin College.
Sponsors of the Mitchell Scholarship program include Ireland’s Department of Education and Skills, Morgan Stanley, and Pfizer. The Scholars will begin their studies in Ireland in September 2020.
Bios of George J. Mitchell Scholarship, Class of 2021
Kyle Berlin hopes to affect positive social change through the arts. The Valedictorian at Princeton University in 2018, Kyle held leadership positions in various campus organizations where he tied his academic work in languages (Spanish and Portuguese), creative writing, and theater to local service work. He co-founded and chaired the Hidden Chaplains Initiative and trained as a chaplain for the Prison Listening Project. Kyle served as a residential college advisor and advocated for a more compassionate campus community. In 2017, after winning a peace prize, he co-founded the Rhizome Theater Company. Its inaugural production, Nice Town, Normal People, is a community-examining documentary that explores the idea of home. Kyle is currently the Three Dogs Foundation inaugural artist-fellow. He is pursuing various artistic and social justice related projects, including compiling a book of writing from prison exploring compassion and expanding his community-examining documentary theater efforts. He will study Culture and Colonialism at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Rebecca Brett is Social and Cultural Analysis major at New York University and is what is known in chess as a Candidate Master. Growing up on a rural town in central Florida, chess provided the intellectual outlet Rebecca needed to succeed. She founded Chess for Girls, a 20,000-member organization that empowers girls across New York City. She also teaches female inmates at Rikers Island, helping them earn chess qualifications so they can improve their hiring prospects upon release. Earlier this year, her application to include chess as an official amateur athletic sport was approved; it will be included as a sport in the 2020 Junior Olympics. While working as a paralegal at an immigration law firm, Rebecca noticed that student visa applications for study in the U.S. were denied at higher rates if the applicant submitted lower math scores, an issue that acutely impacts women. Her research confirmed this relationship and she hopes to find ways that chess can make a difference. An aspiring attorney, Rebecca will study Gender, Globalisation, and Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Natalie Campbell’s advocacy alongside individuals with intellectual disability (ID) began in the seventh grade, when she established a campaign to eliminate the use of the R-word in her local school system. She continues her work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she majors in Disability Studies and Philosophy. Her accomplishments include expanding a state-wide scholarship to include students with ID at institutions of higher education, establishing a system for disability advocacy on campus, and writing legislation as a Student Senator to ensure students with ID access to disability services, from which they were previously excluded. Now Student Body President, Natalie is working to establish a Commission for Disability that will report to the Chancellor of the University of Tennessee. Her internships at Massachusetts General Hospital and The World Health Organization allowed her to research and propose ways families, communities, and workplaces can better support individuals with ID. An aspiring attorney, Natalie will study Inclusion and Special Educational Needs at Queen’s University Belfast.
Daniel Driscoll is energized by public intellectualism and outward-facing scholarship. Born into a large family in Youngstown, Ohio, Dan attends Columbia University as a QuestBridge Scholar. Studying Philosophy and History, Dan has worked as a research assistant while pursuing projects outside of the classroom that allow him to interact with the community. As an intern with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he researched exhibits (Medieval art is his specialty) and provided tours. He produced segments on a wide variety of topics for WNYC, the local NPR station. He is a member of the Columbia Debate Society and in 2017 qualified (with his partner) for the final round of the novice national championship. During his first year at Columbia, Dan joined the Housing Equity Project, which staffs homeless shelters in NYC. Under his leadership, the organization established a street outreach program and incorporated a food recovery network. These experiences have solidified his commitment to return to his Ohio community. He will study Early Modern History at Trinity College Dublin.
Kalia Firester combines her passion for science, animation, and filmmaking to create works that elucidate complex subjects that are otherwise difficult to observe. As an Art, Film, and Visual Studies major at Harvard University, she has created films on topics as varied as the disappearance of the Monarch butterflies and the last cobbler in Cambridge. Her short, animated story about a mother watching her daughter travel to Mars was a finalist in NASA’s Project Mars International Film Competition in 2018. She is creating an animated fiction film for her senior thesis that uses virtual reality to present the intergenerational responsibility for climate change. As an animator in MIT’s Media Lab, she assists in the production of the first holographic film bound for Sundance. Her international experience includes assisting on an animated feature film about Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel’s life (and thoughts) as he shot one of his most controversial films in the 1930s. Kalia will study Animation at the Ulster University.
An Agricultural Economics major at Purdue University, Mason Gordon is on a mission to make rural communities thrive. Two weeks after graduating from high school, the Indiana native was elected the State Southern Region Vice President for the Indiana FFA Association and spent the next year traveling to promote Indiana agriculture and agricultural education. He then served as the Mayor’s intern for the city of Rushville, helping secure a $14 million investment to stimulate the local economy. Before transferring to Purdue, Mason attended Lincoln Land Community College on a livestock judging scholarship and represented the College at five national judging contests. At Purdue, he has advocated for equitable agricultural policies at the state and national level and has conducted research on behalf of several Indiana communities to improve the quality of services to their residents. Mason will study Rural Sustainability at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Julia Maine grew up on an island off the coast of Maine and majored in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College. Her decision to become a scientist was solidified after receiving a scholarship from NOAA that she used to conduct award-winning research on the effects of ocean acidification. She was appointed by student government to the Climate Action Committee that oversaw Bowdoin’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, which was ultimately accomplished two years ahead of schedule. After graduating in 2016, Julia began working with fishermen to help them incorporate science into their nascent aquaculture operations. She also co-created an aquaculture festival in her hometown in order to educate the community about the local sea farms and bring the aquaculture and lobstering communities together. Julia currently monitors harmful algal blooms as a volunteer for the state of Maine. The data she collects helps inform coastal management and protect public health. She plans to run for the state legislature in the future to promote sustainable solutions to climate change. Julia will study Coastal and Marine Environments at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Alexander Murray believes climate finance is the most effective way to address climate change. As a Finance and Environmental Studies double major at the University of Kansas, he built coalitions with other campus groups to create Net Impact KU, an organization that promotes sustainability education among students and the local business community. Alex also chairs the Student Environmental Advisory Board, where he helped generate new revenue to support its work. As bees are the harbingers of a changing climate, Alex co-founded the KU Beekeeping Club, recruiting almost 400 members in its first year of operation, and coordinated educational events with local schools. Alex also led several Alternative KU breaks where he was able to assist with an urban farm in New Orleans and support the rehabilitation of rescued wolf populations in Colorado. At the end of his junior year, Alex received a prestigious public service award for his contributions to the KU community. He will study Renewable Energy and Environmental Finance at University College Dublin.
Adler Pruitt currently serves as Chief of Staff to the Maryland House Judiciary Committee and works on the leadership’s legislative efforts on criminal and juvenile justice reform. Graduating with degrees in Government & Politics and Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, he represented students charged by the with conduct violations as part of the campus Legal Aid Office and co-founded one of the fastest growing student organizations: a non-partisan platform to research, explore, and discuss politics. AJ was elected to serve as Student Body President his senior year, lobbying for several pieces of successful legislation including mandating priority registration for student veterans and requiring no-excuse absentee voting for all local elections in Maryland. Since graduating in 2018, he continues to volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children and youth. A native of Baltimore, AJ is inspired by the community activists working to improve the city’s future. He will study Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation at Trinity College Dublin (Belfast location).
Achille Tenkiang hopes to bridge the gap between the arts and legal advocacy to promote greater representation of African narratives. Born in Cameroon, he attended Princeton University where he was the first student to ever receive a degree African Studies. He served as President of the African Students Association and the Black Leadership Coalition, working with the administration to promote awareness of African issues and secure funding for programming to create more positive experiences for students of color on campus. Achille also worked on initiatives to promote professional opportunities for Black collegians to close the unemployment gap. After graduating in 2017, he was awarded a fellowship to work for an arts and youth empowerment NGO in Nairobi, Kenya where he held poetry and music workshops for migrant youth looking to navigate urban life. He was also appointed to a four-year term on Princeton’s Board of Trustees, where he helps oversee its endowment. An aspiring attorney, Achille is currently working with an international law firm in Paris. He will study Race, Migration and Decolonial Studies at University College Dublin.
Joseph Yaconelli graduated from the University of Oregon in 2019 with degrees in Math and Computer Science. A machine learning researcher, he is committed to developing responsible artificial intelligence. As a summer researcher at Harvey Mudd College, he worked on intelligent music systems, a technology that could contribute to human flourishing. As an NSF-funded researcher at UC Berkeley, he worked on getting small, efficient robots to fly stably for potential application in rapid search and rescue. Joseph’s commitment to PathwayOregon, a program that funds academically qualified, low-income students, was exemplary. He served as a peer mentor, student ambassador, and help found a leadership team to develop curriculum, resources and opportunities for Pathway scholars on campus. Joseph is concerned that much of machine learning research in the US is funded by the American defense community (which can then limit its dissemination and application. He will study Computer Science at University College Dublin.
Selena Zhao is a Government major at Harvard University where she researches consociationalism, and the impact of this form of power-sharing. She has explored the topic in Nigeria, Lebanon, and is now focusing her senior thesis on the Good Friday Agreement and how it incentivizes ethnonational divide for political gain. Selena has worked as a research assistant for several Harvard professors, and contributed to Professor Steve Levitsky’s bestseller How Democracies Die. In London, she interned with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, researching a UK centrist platform. She led several model UN organizations for Harvard, including the largest high-school Model UN conference in the South Asian circuit. Before university, Selena was a competitive figure skater for the Canadian International Team and was the 2015 Junior National Champion. She manages and performs at An Evening with Champions, a yearly fundraiser for pediatric cancer research. She will study Conflict Transformation at Queen’s University Belfast.