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Connecticut College names 13 Winthrop Scholars, College´s highest academic honor
November 13, 2008
NEW LONDON, Conn. - Thirteen Connecticut College seniors have been named Winthrop Scholars, the highest academic honor bestowed by the college. All have also been chosen for membership in Phi Beta Kappa and were recognized at a ceremony on Nov 11.
"Connecticut College students are among the future leaders of the world. And you, as the best among some of the top students in the country, are already proving yourselves to be leaders," President Leo I. Higdon Jr. said at the recognition ceremony. He added, "You are the scientists we know will someday solve the most pressing issues of our time. You are scholars in our interdisciplinary centers who bring diverse perspectives to our learning environment, you are the musicians who bring joy to the campus community by sharing your special talents and you are so much more."
The students are Gili Ben-Yosef, a sociology-based human relations major from Great Neck, N.Y.; Brais Louro Lariño, an economics and mathematics major from A Coruna, Spain; Rachael Sara Datz, a human development and psychology-based human relations major from Ridgewood, N.J.; Audrey Lynn Davis, a biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology major from Hinsdale, Mass.; Hilary Richmond Goodnow, a history major from Wilmot, N.H.; Glenn Daniel Marmon, a computer science major from Winchester, Mass.; David Jon Marshall, an anthropology and biological sciences major from Jamestown, R.I.; Neema Nassiri-Motlagh, a German studies and philosophy major from Rockville, Md.; Daniel Robert O'Keefe, a history major from River Edge, N.J.; Emily Hawken Taylor, an American studies major from Glastonbury, Conn.; Miriam Rose Wasser, a government major from Lexington, Mass.; Brian Stansbury Wilson, a music and technology and philosophy major from Baltimore, Md.; and Tianyi Xu, an economics and Italian major from Shanghai, China.
In 1928, 17 years after Connecticut College was founded, the practice of honoring Winthrop Scholars - those members of the senior class who demonstrated exceptional scholarship, personal fitness and promise - was begun. The honor was named after John Winthrop, founder of New London and a governor of Connecticut.
The Delta of Connecticut Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was installed at Connecticut College on February 13, 1935. At that time, the faculty voted to retain the designation of Winthrop Scholar as its highest honor, reserved for students elected to Phi Beta Kappa in the fall term of their senior year.
Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college's 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.
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For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu