Student wins international scholarship

Graduate student Emily Mark will be spending the next school year in Ireland, all expenses paid. She did not win a contest, but is getting there as a result of years of hard work and dedication to social change. \nMark was one of twelve nationwide recipients of the George J. Mitchell Scholarships. The scholarship program was created in recognition of former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell. He played an important part in encouraging the peace process in Ireland and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.\nThe program is funded in part by an endowment established by the government of Ireland and is run by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance.\nMark is working on an MA in Arts Administration. She earned a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Southern California and served the school in a variety of ways. She was president of the USC Trustee Scholars Organization, a performer for the USC Songfest, and was active in various Latino organizations. Mark said although she participates in many activities, she has one driving motivation.\n"I'm really passionate about the arts," she said. "You can apply aesthetics in so many different ways. My talents exist in developing a culture where the arts can exist, whether that's being at a museum or at a university."\nMark's undergraduate years were filled with activities that combined her love of the arts, her Latino culture, and belief in social justice. She was an intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, attended a college summer program in Cambridge, England, and served as a teaching assistant for a bilingual inner city kindergarten class. Mark said she has an underlying cause for everything she does.\n"I\'m very involved in my church," she said. "Social justice and action are an important part of it. I don't just want to work in the arts." \nAt IU, Mark has worked with Bloomington United, a community anti-hate organization, and participated in the yearly rally against violence toward women, Take Back the Night. Last year she worked as Road Manager for the Choral Ensemble, and is currently assistant to the director of the African American Arts Institute. \nAAAI Director Charles Sykes said Mark is headed toward success.\n"I would have to say she is the epitome of excellence," he said. "She is a diligent, self-motivated, creative, and loyal worker. Her contributions will have long-lasting effects on the success of our program."\nMark applied for the Mitchell Scholarship because she believed working in Ireland would further develop her cultural experiences.\n"The program is an excellent one," she said. "It's a way to get immersed in the culture just for a year. I want that immersion experience. I like having contacts everywhere. Also the Irish economy has experienced a renaissance the past few years, and it\'s a really exciting place to be right now." \nMark said the program had about 250 applicants, from which twelve were chosen. The recipients will study at various universities in Ireland, depending on their field of study. Mark is the first recipient to study arts administration. \nDell Pendergrast, director of the George Mitchell Scholars Program, said the area of study is not important in the selection process.\n"We have three areas of interest: Academic excellence, leadership, and community service," he said. "The applicant's discipline of study is not important. We look at the individual."\nMark is the second candidate to be chosen for a Mitchell Scholarship from IU in the three-year history of the program. Elisabeth Yu, a 2001 IU graduate, is currently at Queen\'s University in Belfast.\n"We are very happy to have an IU student chosen for this very rigorous nationwide competition," Pendergrast said. "It says a lot about IU that they could have two recipients in a row"