Johnson is recipient of Robert C. Byrd Scholarship

Matthew Johnson, MIHS Class of 2010, has been selected as one of the Washington State High School Graduates to receive the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship. This long-standing 4-year renewable award, named after the late United States Senator from West Virginia, is the only merit-based scholarship program funded through the U.S. Department of Education. Winners are nominated by their high schools and then selected based on overall GPA, strength of their high school curriculum, standardized test scores, and a brief essay on future career plans. Johnson, along with Eliana Rudee, is also this year’s recipient of the Mercer Island Masonic Lodge Scholarship. Next month, he will attend Haverford College in Pennsylvania where he will study the physical sciences and play for the nation‘s oldest men’s collegiate soccer team.

MI UW graduate receives travel fellowship

Nina Tan, a 2010 University of Washington graduate from Mercer Island, is one of 14 UW students who have been awarded Bonderman Travel Fellowships. Students traveling with this $20,000 fellowship set off on solo journeys that are at least eight months long, to at least two regions of the world. While traveling, students may not pursue academic study, projects or research.

Tan will begin her trip in China, making her way to Tibet and Nepal, then India and Bangladesh. She hopes “to learn about countries and their respective cultures and histories through the lens of food.” After Asia and Southeast Asia, her route will bring her to Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Tan was a Mary Gates Research Scholar and a UW Undergraduate Achievement Scholar, and a member of the student organization Students for Equal Health. She majored in economics and cellular, molecular and developmental biology and was a student in the UW Honors Program.

Two MIHS grads receive Fulbright Scholarships

Madolyn Hollowed, Mercer Island High School Class of 2006, and Leah Spelman, MIHS Class of 2005 both received Fulbright scholarships this year.

Hollowed is to leave this September for Costa Rica where she is to work developing a diabetes prevention program for indigenous tribes. Her project will build upon work she did with the Ngöbe tribe during a study abroad term while attending Occidental College in California.

Spelman is travel to the Jordan in January 2011 to begin researching how European non-governmental-organizations are affecting women’s political participation there. Spelman is to work with the University of Jordan in Amman.

Hollowed graduated this spring from Occidental College with distinction in biology, and Spelman graduated from George Washington University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs.

Rudee is BECU scholar

Mercer Island High School graduate Eliana Rudee, is one of 40 students to receive a BECU Foundation scholarship for community service.

Rudee is to attend Scripps College in the fall. She won a scholarship for her work with the SciTech research program studying DNA.

“BECU’s scholarship program spotlights student members who, in addition to academic achievements, demonstrate a strong commitment to their community,” said Debbie Wege, executive director of the BECU Foundation. The Foundation received more than 600 scholarship applications from BECU student members.

Brown is recipient of Bronfman Youth Fellowship

Madeleine Brown has been awarded a Bronfman Youth Fellowship for studying and traveling in Israel. Brown, the daughter of Michael and Shelly Brown of Mercer Island, is studying Judaic Studies as a junior at the MMSC Girls’ High School in Seattle while being home schooled for general studies. Brown’s interests include classical languages, literature and civilizations, and she is taking Latin courses at the University of Washington and studying Latin and Ancient Greek independently. Brown has also finished college-level biology and chemistry courses and has been studying Shudokan Karate for eight years, currently pursuing a second degree black belt. She is an active member of Congregation Shevet Achim, along with her family, where she coordinates the children’s program and teaches grade level classes.

Islander named to Bellevue College Foundation Board

Jolanne Stanton of Mercer Island was elected as a new member to the 2010-11 Bellevue College Foundation Board, along with six other new members and three new officers. The Bellevue College Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1978 to raise funds to enhance educational opportunities at Bellevue College.

Islanders earn degrees from Washington State University

Recent graduates from Mercer Island include Rachel Franklin, with a Bachelor of Arts in social sciences; Megan Elizabeth Smersh, with a Bachelor of Science in economics; Cristina Maria Turcanu, with a Bachelor of Arts in speech and hearing sciences; and Paul Hosik Yoon, with a Bachelor of Science in architectural studies, cum laude.

Bogden graduates from the University of Oregon

Peter Bogden, son of Carol Brooks and James Bogden of Mercer Island, and a MIHS 2006 graduate, received his Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Oregon. In his junior year he was one of 24 applicants to be accepted into the The Kidd Tutorial program. This program is a yearlong course for undergraduates in creative writing, intellectual inquiry and craft-based research.