Two seniors awarded $20,000 scholarships

From IDS reports\nTwo IU seniors were awarded $20,000 each during a ceremony Tuesday for their work in the humanities. Shawna Ayoub from Carmel, Ind., and Tiffani Jones from New Castle, Ind., are recipients of the College of Arts and Sciences' Palmer-Brandon Prize.\nCOAS Dean Kumble Subbaswamy said this award is unique to undergraduates because of its size. \n"We are fortunate that we will have two of them each year to give to our best students in the humanities," he said in a prepared statement. "I'm sure Ms. Ayoub and Ms. Jones will do us proud in coming years."\nAyoub has served as a public relations coordinator for the Muslim Student Union and a teaching assistant at the Islamic Center of Bloomington.\n"I'm grateful for this award because I'll be able to concentrate more on my writing," she said. "And now I'll be able to use some of the money that I earn working to try and get my writing into various publications."\nJones served as an IU orientation leader this summer and has volunteered at the Middle Way House, Habitat for Humanity and the Center for Sustainable Living.\n"Before receiving this award, the classes I took were often second to my work schedule," she said. "(The award) has completely alleviated the stress and strain associated with financing my own education and, therefore, ameliorated many barriers to my pursuing other activities."\nJones said she plans to use the $20,000 next semester when she goes abroad to the Dominican Republic. Later, she said, she hopes to pursue a Fulbright scholarship or apply to the Teach for America program.\nThe Palmer-Brandon Prize is named for the late Ralph Graham Palmer of Washington, Ind., and his wife, Barbara Brandon Palmer, both IU alumni. The husband and wife donated the money to COAS in the 1980s.\nStudents typically can apply for the prize if they are full-time students with junior standing who are majoring in the humanities and scheduled to graduate in May or August of the following year. Applicants are asked for a personal statement that outlines their career goals.