The Nichols Humanitarian Fund has awarded scholarships to 40 Vanderbilt University students to pursue humanitarian projects during summer 2016. Since this fund was established in 2006, it has awarded scholarships to 261 Vanderbilt students to enable them to go on humanitarian missions to virtually every part of the world.
Human rights, public health, immigrant rights, early childhood education and environmental sustainability are among the issues students will address in their work with communities in 16 nations.
The following students are award recipients:
- Natalie Brackett, a master’s of education candidate in the International Education Policy and Management program from Chattanooga, Tennessee;
- Mary Isobel Casey, a medicine, health and society major from Maspeth, New York;
- Leah Chisholm, a neuroscience major from Atlanta, Georgia;
- Marissa Davis, an English literary studies major from Paducah, Kentucky;
- Miah Davis, a political science major from Orlando, Florida; Davis also received the Morton C. Johnson Honor Scholarship.
- Terrance Dean, a doctoral student in the Graduate Department of Religion from New York, New York;
- Zack Ely, a biological science and literary studies major from Cleveland, Tennessee;
- Leah Fassinger, a biomedical engineering and Russian major from Nashville, Tennessee;
- Rachel Gilfarb, a neuroscience major from Miami, Florida;
- Haley Green, a child development and psychology major from Greenbrier, Tennessee;
- Venus Green, a master of arts student in the Medicine, Health and Society program from Jackson, Mississippi;
- Arulita Gupta, a neuroscience and medicine, health and society major from Atlanta, Georgia;
- Safiah Hassan, a medicine, health and society and Spanish major from Murray, Kentucky;
- Caleb Hayes, a master of arts student in the Latin American Studies program from Hendersonville, Tennessee;
- Audrianna Irving, a cognitive studies major from Dallas, Texas;
- Allison Katz, a human and organizational development major from Armonk, New York;
- Peter Kent-Stoll, a master of arts student in the Medicine, Health and Society program from Santa Cruz, California;
- Heebong Kim, an earth and environmental science major from New York, New York;
- Samantha Long, a musical arts major from Johnston, Iowa;
- Rediate Molla, an economics and public policy major from Columbus, Ohio;
- Morgan Newman, a public policy and sociology major from Bloomington, Tennessee;
- Karin Oh, a medicine, health and society major from Cincinnati, Ohio;
- Kelly Perry, an English and medicine, health and society major from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Perry is also a recipient of the Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Honor Scholarship.
- Mona Quarless, a master of education student from Brooklyn, New York;
- Megan Ramirez, a special education and child studies major from Vernon Hill, Illinois;
- Matt Reynolds, a medicine, health and society major from Westport, Connecticut;
- Radha Sathanayagam, a medicine, health and society major from Staten Island, New York;
- Layla Shahmohammadi, a human and organizational development and political science major from Pueblo, Colorado;
- Paul Snider, a biology and English major from Mandeville, Jamaica;
- Carolyn Stewart, a psychology and medicine, health and society major from Libertyville, Illinois; Stewart is also a recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship.
- Joanna Sun, an economics major from Highland Park, Illinois;
- Harini Suresh, an oboe performance and chemistry major from Celina, Texas;
- Courtland Sutton, a communication studies and public policy major from Charleston, South Carolina;
- Ana Vasan, a cognitive studies major from Western Springs, Illinois; Vasan is also a recipient of the Dean’s Achievement Scholarship.
- Justin Yeh, a molecular and cellular biology major from Auburn, Alabama; Yeh is also a recipient of the Marjorie V. Hamrick Scholarship.
- Chelsea Yip, a computer science major from Tampa, Florida; and
- Abel Yosef, an economics and medicine, health and society major from Nashville, Tennessee.
Awards also were granted to three Vanderbilt Law School students: Rachel Z. Johnson of Temple, Texas; Olivia Marshall of Washington, D.C.; and Alexandre Todorov of St. Louis, Missouri.
The Nichols Humanitarian Fund was established by the E.C. and Lucile Hamby Nichols Trust and by Edward C. Nichols Jr., who earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School in 1970, and his wife, Janice Nichols. The fund is a companion scholarship fund to the Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal and encourages Vanderbilt students to become better citizens of the world and to broaden their thinking by volunteering for humanitarian efforts.
The fund enables students to volunteer for domestic or international humanitarian service opportunities by making support available for educational, travel and living expenses during their time of service. The fund distributes awards based on merit and need to cover the students’ expenses of their humanitarian activities.
For more information, email Meagan Smith, program coordinator of the Office of Active Citizenship and Service, or call 615-343-7878.