Spring Break
Economics major UConn's second Marshall Scholar in 32 years
Katherine Martinez
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: News
UConn senior Michelle Prairie has been awarded the Marshall Scholarship, a prestigious accolade usually reserved for Ivy League students.
Prairie, an 8th-semester economic major, has a perfect 4.0 GPA and has been conducting economic research while studying at UConn. She did not expect to win the scholarship.
"I applied thinking there's no chance," Prairie said.
Prairie is the second UConn student in 32 years to have been awarded the scholarship. She was encouraged to apply by Jill Deans, director of the Office of National Scholarships. Deans has been working closely with Prairie since the fall of 2007 to find a scholarship program that was right for her.
"She impressed me immediately," Deans said of Prairie. "She's a mature, thoughtful and smart student."
According to the scholarship's Web site, up to 40 American students, many of whom attend Yale, Harvard and MIT among other notable universities, are sent to the United Kingdom each year to study at a graduate level.
The Office of National Scholarships has been in existence for four years, and does its best to help students further their academic career. Deans nominates students who she truly believes stand a chance to win these scholarships. The students are assisted through the entire process, from nominations, to personal statements and mock interviews.
Prairie was pleased to represent a public institution among the Marshall Scholars.
"This really reflects well on public schools," she said.
Prairie, who said that UConn was a great fit for her undergraduate education, is now ready to take the next step: two years in England.
As a Marshall Scholar, Prairie will study economics for a year in Nottingham and earn a masters of science. She hopes to spend her second year at the London School of Economics and Political Science, earning another masters degree. Prairie will focus her education on development economics.
Prairie's interest in the economics of emerging countries dates back to her high school trip to Brazil. Although at the time Prairie was not sure she wanted to major in economics, she did take a strong interest in the level of poverty in the country. Since that trip, Prairie spent time in both Peru and Sweden, comparing the economic growth of the countries.
Prairie, an 8th-semester economic major, has a perfect 4.0 GPA and has been conducting economic research while studying at UConn. She did not expect to win the scholarship.
"I applied thinking there's no chance," Prairie said.
Prairie is the second UConn student in 32 years to have been awarded the scholarship. She was encouraged to apply by Jill Deans, director of the Office of National Scholarships. Deans has been working closely with Prairie since the fall of 2007 to find a scholarship program that was right for her.
"She impressed me immediately," Deans said of Prairie. "She's a mature, thoughtful and smart student."
According to the scholarship's Web site, up to 40 American students, many of whom attend Yale, Harvard and MIT among other notable universities, are sent to the United Kingdom each year to study at a graduate level.
The Office of National Scholarships has been in existence for four years, and does its best to help students further their academic career. Deans nominates students who she truly believes stand a chance to win these scholarships. The students are assisted through the entire process, from nominations, to personal statements and mock interviews.
Prairie was pleased to represent a public institution among the Marshall Scholars.
"This really reflects well on public schools," she said.
Prairie, who said that UConn was a great fit for her undergraduate education, is now ready to take the next step: two years in England.
As a Marshall Scholar, Prairie will study economics for a year in Nottingham and earn a masters of science. She hopes to spend her second year at the London School of Economics and Political Science, earning another masters degree. Prairie will focus her education on development economics.
Prairie's interest in the economics of emerging countries dates back to her high school trip to Brazil. Although at the time Prairie was not sure she wanted to major in economics, she did take a strong interest in the level of poverty in the country. Since that trip, Prairie spent time in both Peru and Sweden, comparing the economic growth of the countries.
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