2022-2023 Graduate Fellowship Award Winners
The Alumnae of Northwestern Awards Four Graduate Fellowships
The Alumnae of Northwestern University has selected four recipients to receive its 2022-23 Graduate Fellowships for graduate-level tuition. The fellowships are awarded to full-time students in terminal master’s degree programs who show promise of achieving distinction in careers that will serve the public good. Criteria for selection include quality of scholarship, leadership, community service, professional experience, and financial need.
The Alumnae Graduate Fellowship Committee’s chair, Erin Leddon, notes: “The Alumnae is extremely proud to support these outstanding Northwestern graduates as they work to complete their master’s degrees.”
Julia Odden, from Scottsdale, Arizona, will receive her Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Northwestern in 2022. For the last two summers she has been a Command and Control Systems Engineering Intern at NASA, working at the Kennedy Space Center. At NASA, Julia quickly made significant contributions to teams working on computer networks. She took this experience back to Northwestern where she served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in computer science courses and developed a keen interest in cybersecurity. She served as captain of the university’s competitive hacking team, and even started a blog about digital forensics for laypeople. She will pursue a Master’s in Computer Science at Northwestern, with a goal of using digital forensics to solve real-world problems.
Rwan Ibrahim, from San Antonio, Texas, will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Northwestern in 2022. A first-generation Sudanese-American, Rwan has excelled at Northwestern academically and in her extracurricular activities. She has served in undergraduate leadership positions in Weinberg College (Student Advisory Board), Associated Student Government, and the Muslim-Cultural Students Association. She has been involved with research projects in neurobiology and global health studies, which led to an interest in women’s health advocacy. She is currently working with Menstrual Equity Activists to extend free menstrual products to all on-campus dorms. In addition, Rwan has been a volunteer Peer Health Educator for marginalized student communities in Chicago. An aspiring future hospital administrator, her goal is to advocate for structural policy that will lead to more equitable healthcare for patients disproportionately affected in medicine. She will pursue a Master’s in Public Health at the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Sally (Chan Mi) Jung, from Fairfield, California, will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Northwestern in 2022. She moved to the U.S. from Korea at age 11 and quickly compiled an impressive academic resume while building her English-language skills. At Northwestern she has won several awards to support undergraduate research, and her research experience in neuroscience has resulted in more than 10 peer-reviewed articles and conference presentations. She has served in leadership roles for the Global Medical Mission Alliance club at Northwestern and, with several medical professional mentors, led a student trip to Tijuana, Mexico. This experience led to her strong commitment to public health, where her goal is to obtain the knowledge and professional skills necessary to advocate for access to equitable healthcare and the wellbeing of underserved communities. She will pursue a Master’s in Public Health in the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Tanieshaa Shrestha, from Kathmandu, Nepal, will receive a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University in Qatar in June 2022. As an undergraduate, Tanieshaa distinguished herself as a teaching and research assistant in the journalism program, finding ways to gain practical experience in journalism while supporting her peers. This spirit of giving back was evident when she returned to work with students at her former high school in Kathmandu last summer. She helped create a youth service club dedicated to identifying communities in the area who require assistance raising awareness of issues like child marriage, human trafficking, access to clean water and educational resources. She helped students devise strategies for raising awareness of these issues by using photos, articles and social media. With a degree in social justice reporting, Tanieshaa will continue this commitment to advocate on behalf of refugees and marginalized communities. She will pursue a Master’s of Science in Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism in Evanston.
The Alumnae of Northwestern University is an all-volunteer organization of women that raises funds for a wide range of projects to benefit the University while sharing the University’s academic resources with the community through its Continuing Education Program. Founded in 1916, The Alumnae has given more than $9.5 million to the university in the form of grants, fellowships, scholarships, endowed professorships, funding for special university projects, and summer internships. For more information, visit The Alumnae www.nualumnae.org.