Undergrads Win Fellowships, Fulbrights, and More
Morgan Hodges (BS22), who plans to pursue her master's in counseling, received the School of Education and Social Policy's Outstanding Leadership Award from the Northwestern Alumni Association.
Hodges earned a bachelor’s with a concentration in human development and psychological services and a second major in cognitive science. She will attend Boston College in the fall to pursue a dual master's degree in theology and ministry and mental health counseling, and hopes to primarily work with teens and young adults.
“Morgan has said 'yes' to leadership at every opportunity,” wrote Carrie Perll Von Hoff, personnel advisor of Chi Omega and a Weinberg alum. “She stands up for what she believes in and freely shares her gifts with others.”
At Northwestern, Hodges was the vice president and personnel chair of Chi Omega and also received the Claudine V. Mason scholarship from Chi Omega Xi Chapter and the Mary Love Collins memorial scholarship from the national Chi Omega Foundation.
She had roles with the Personality Across Development Lab, the Center for Talent Development, the Sheil Catholic Center, and as a crisis text line counselor. She also worked at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago and a rehab facility specializing in brain and spinal cord injuries in Nebraska.
"Morgan is humble, thoughtful and kind," Von Hoff wrote in the nomination. "She will make Northwestern proud as she becomes a leader in her career and in her community."
Hodges was one of dozens of SESP undergraduates who received awards and accolades this year. Read about more of our outstanding students:
Samira Asseh (left) of Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, won the Project Horseshoe Farm Fellowship, which prepares the next generation of service leaders in healthcare and education. Asseh, who plans to attend medical school, is SESP’s second recipient -- Pooja Kanthawar (BS17) won in 2020.
Maayan Abouzaglo received the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation College Scholarship.
The Dallas Wings chose Veronica Burton as their first pick at the WNBA draft in New York City. They gave her 48 hours to report to Arlington, Texas and “she used that time to fly to Chicago and deliver hand-written thank you notes to the entire athletic department at Northwestern,” the Daily Northwestern reported.
Lilliana Castillo (Ecuador), Anthony Engle (Spain) and Charlotte Loc-Heng Wong (Sweden and United Kingdom) received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship which funds US undergraduates for study abroad.
Alonso Cisneros (Mexico), Olivia Cohen (Taiwan), and Leah McGruder (Columbia) were named finalists for Fulbright (IIE) US Student Awards which support a year of study or research, or projects in the creative or performing arts, or teaching in more than 155 countries worldwide.
Miléna DeGuere will be traveling to Poland over the summer as an Auschwitz Jewish Center Fellow.
Isabella Twocrow, co-chair of the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance at Northwestern, was selected for the Native American Congressional Internship Program. Twocrow, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is Oglala Lakota and a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She is interested in tribal law and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Learning and Organizational Change and Native American and Indigenous studies. At Northwestern, Twocrow also works as the project manager aid for Native American and Indigenous Initiatives on campus and is the student outreach coordinator for Native American and Indigenous students in undergraduate admissions. With her degree, she hopes to work in education policy to reform tribal education systems and ensure Native American and Indigenous students have equitable access to higher education.
Graduating seniors who participated in the SESP Leadership Institute included: Medinat Y. Ayodele, Alonso Cisneros, Elizabeth Curtis, Mariamawit Gashaw, Daniella Hernandez, Nathan Holm, Wallace Greene, Savion Jean-Pierre, Viviana Lanuza, Natalie Olson, Arianna Joy Ponce, Elizabeth Curtis, and Susan Tran.
Nina Lampert received a Come on Out Japan Internship, a summer English teaching opportunity in Japan.
Edwin Naiputari Pokisa won the Projects for Peace award, which supports undergraduates to design and implement their own summer development projects that promote peace. His project focuses on his community, the Yaaku, an indigenous, minority and marginalized community in Kenya. The Yaakunte language is considered endangered, according to UNESCOs Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger.
Joanne Lee and Ren MacClean were selected as convocation cochairs for their dedication to the school and community.
Seniors who successfully completed SESP’s honors thesis program include Samy Abdelsalam, Beatrice Chao, Miléna DeGuere, Hannah Klein, Lola Knight, Leah McGruder, Bobby Read, Daniel Rodriguez, Natalie Sliskovich, Emma Stein, Nina Wetoska, Jiarui Yu.
Students who completed Civic Engagement Certificate Capstone Projects (some shown at right with professor emeritus Paul Arntson) include: Tanya Bhargava,Nell Dasso, Sydney Goldstein, Anne Li, Bobby Read (2020-21), Allie Mizota, Shreya Narla, Abby Nudell, Ryann Perlstein, Leah Ryzenman, Freskida Sejdiu, Haley Wanner, and Anna Witcoff.
Participants in the Undergraduate Research & Arts Expo: Robert Read, Michelle Sheinker, Milena DeGuere, Leah McGruder, and Emma Stein.
Posters session: Sasha Benson, Annie Goss, Hannah Klein, Lola Knight, Zindeh Scere, Natalie Sliskovich, Nina Wetoska, and Jiarui Yu.
Anna Chen, Spencer Cook, Lillian Fu, Maya Mahoney, and Aidan Ocampo participated in the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program. Fu received the Academic Year Undergraduate Research Assistant Program Rising Research Star Award for her work “Late Life Marriages.” Her mentor, Claudia Haase, associate professor and director of the Lifespan Development Lab, won the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program Excellence in Research Mentorship award.
Emma Stein (left) won third place in the Best Expo Oral Presentation category at the Undergraduate Research Awards for her project “Teaching the Apocalypse: Emotional Management in Climate Change Education.” She looked at the psychological consequences of climate change and curriculum development. Her advisors were Simone Ispa-Landa and Megan Bang.
Olivia Putnam and Bobby Read received Academic Year Undergraduate Research grants, which provide research expense funding to support senior thesis and independent study courses.
Maddie Zimmer was named NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading Northwestern to its first-ever National Championship in field hockey. Zimmer had one of two goals in Northwestern’s 2-0 win over Liberty; Liberty is coached by alumna Nikki Parsley (LOC14). After winning an NCAA title, Zimmer headed to Santiago, Chile for the Pan American Cup with the U.S. Women's National Team, where she competed with and against some of the best players in the world.
For more information of fellowships, visit Northwestern's Office of Fellowships. Information on research grant funding can be found at the Office of Undergraduate Research.
To be added to this list, email Julie Deardorff, director of communications, with updates.