Social and Civic Commitments
Accompany Prestigious Fellows

Four Fordham seniors have been awarded prestigious fellowships for post-graduate studies and one alumna-turned-University-administrator will spend the 2003-2004 academic year in Ireland studying Irish film and theater as a George Mitchell Scholar.

Fordham remains committed to preparing its student body for prestigious fellowships. According to John Hollwitz, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs, in the past eight years, more than 80 graduate and undergraduate students have received prestigious awards.

“The senior fellowship winners are all accomplished scholars, yet they also remain deeply committed to civic and social issues, which remains central to Jesuit education,” said Hollwitz. “As an academic institution, we are always pleased with exemplary scholarship, but we are also extremely proud when our students channel their creative talents and intellect in ways that enrich the community beyond Fordham.”

Two such civic-minded students are history major Jeremy Schwarz (FCO ’03) and Kristen Tranetski (FCO ’03), a double major in political science and American studies. The two seniors each received Truman Fellowships, which are presented to students who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential. The award, bestowed by the Harry S. Truman Foundation, supports the last year of undergraduate education and up to three years of graduate school.

Schwarz, a U.S. Navy midshipman, has deferred the graduate studies portion of his fellowship. He will report for duty on August 3 as an ensign aboard the USS Hue City, a naval cruiser stationed in Mayport, Fla. Tranetski is headed to law school at New York University, hoping to study international law with the goal of advocating for international human rights. This summer, she will intern in the Washington office of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold.

Two additional Fordham seniors each received a Clark Fellowship in recognition of their leadership skills and demonstrated interests in the management of nonprofit, community-oriented services. Richard Richardson (FCO ’03), an urban studies and sociology double major, and Lindsay Willert (FCO ’03), a theology and American studies double major, were both beneficiaries of the fellowship. Fueled by a desire to work with troubled youths, Richardson plans to pursue a master’s degree in education and Willert will be pursuing a master’s degree at Union Theological Seminary and ultimately hopes to use theological principles to enrich community service initiatives.

The Mitchell Scholarship, administered by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance and named in honor of former Senator George Mitchell’s pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process, identifies Americans who exhibit qualities of academic excellence, leadership and community service. Cassie Farrelly (FCO ’99), who received a B.A. in English from Fordham and spent her junior year studying at Oxford, is Fordham’s first Mitchell Scholarship recipient. Farrelly currently works as a donor relations officer in Fordham’s Office of Development and University Relations. A playwright and short story author, she is also the education director and resident artist at the Playwrights Theater of New York, where she administers drama programs for middle and high school students at the Eugene O’Neill Improvisational Studio. Two of Farrelly’s plays have been produced off-Broadway and her many affiliations with the New York City theatrical community include a stint working as dramaturge for the Looking Glass Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Farrelly will study at Trinity College in Dublin.

Five other graduating seniors are Fulbright fellowship finalists awaiting confirmation from their host countries.

Return to FACES IN THE CLASS OF 2003

Social and Civic Commitments Accompany Prestigious Fellows

Social and Civic Commitments
Accompany Prestigious Fellows