The award is a nationwide competition that attracted 270 applicants this year, according to an IU news release. It is given in honor of former United States Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine. Mitchell contributed to the Northern Ireland peace process.
The scholarship is the nonprofit U.S.-Ireland Alliance’s flagship program. It was founded in 1998 by Trina Vargo, who was the foreign policy adviser to Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., according to the release.
Recipients are chosen based on their academic distinction, leadership and service, according to the release. Rachel Green will attend Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to study moral, legal and political philosophy.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to study in Belfast under the Mitchell Scholarship,” she said in the release. “I am deeply grateful for the opportunities that Indiana University has provided me to grow as a leader and as a human being and for the mentorship of faculty and staff who have guided me through my undergraduate experiences.”
Green is currently studying economics and sociology.
She is a Wells Scholar, as well as a member of the Board of Aeons, according to the release.
Green is the fifth IU-Bloomington student to be awarded the Mitchell Scholarship. The most recent winner was Kathleen Claussen in 2007.
This year’s scholarship finalists were interviewed by a committee that consisted of academic experts in international affairs, as well as former Mitchell Scholars.
Ireland’s ambassador to the U.S., Anne Anderson, welcomed the 20 finalists with a reception at the Irish Embassy.
Kathrine Schulze
