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U.Va.
Student Awarded Prestigious Marshall Scholarship
December
12, 2000 -- Katherine Dirks, a fourth-year government
honors student at the University of Virginia, is one of 40 undergraduates
from around the United States chosen to receive a prestigious British
Marshall Scholarship. The scholarships, announced by the British
government, enable the students to undertake graduate study at a
British university for a period of two years.
Dirks,
the eighth U.Va. student to be awarded this honor since the scholarships
were established in 1953, plans to pursue a master of philosophy
degree in international relations at Oxford University. The Marshall
Scholarships, among the highest undergraduate honors in the U.S.,
cover tuition costs, books travel and living expenses.
Dirks,
from Baton Rouge, La., has been both a Jefferson Scholar and Echols
Scholar at U.Va. She has been deeply interested in immigration and
citizenship policy in her academic career and plans to continue
to study and eventually work in that area.
"Oxford
will be an ideal place for me to study," she said. "Ill
be able to look closely at European immigration policy."
With
a GPA of about 3.9 she has been vice president of U.Va.s International
Relations Organization and president of the Raven Society, U.Va.s
oldest honorary organization. Among numerous other extracurricular
activities she has been closely involved with University Mediation
Services, the Young Women Leaders mentoring program, and Madison
House volunteers.
"Shes
a great leader, very outgoing, with a wonderful sense of whats
important," said Nicole Hurd, assistant director of U.Va.s
Fellowships Office. "She pursued a very rigorous academic curriculum
but also reached out widely in service work. Shes a person
of amazing balances."
Contact:
Bob Brickhouse, (804) 924-6856
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