Senior Tom Sweeney has been awarded the 2020 Marshall Scholarship, making him the first IU student to receive the award since 2012, according to an IU press release.
The award, valued around $50,000 per year, is offered by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, a public body that awards American students with scholarships and grants to pursue graduate studies at any university in the United Kingdom. According to the release, the scholarship also pays for fees, living expenses, travel fares, books, research, daily travel and a thesis.
"Tom is extremely intelligent, creative and driven, and he possesses a profound sense of compassion for others," IU President Michael McRobbie said in the release. "Despite a rigorous program of study, he has excelled academically, while also specializing in research on economic inequality and committing himself to fostering a just and inclusive campus community.”
Sweeney is one of 46 recipients of the scholarship this year, according to the press release. He is pursuing a B.A. in economics and philosophy and two B.S. degrees — one in math and one in statistics. He expects to graduate in May.
Over the next two years, Sweeney plans to study econometrics, which is the statistical science of economics, at the London School of Economics and Political Science, according to the press release.
Sweeney was a visiting student at Oxford University his junior year.
While at IU, Sweeney led Culture of Care, a student organization that provides campus-wide programs on issues such as sexual health and drug and alcohol awareness.
Sweeney has interned for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors twice, the release said. As an intern, he analyzed wealth inequality and the widening wealth gaps along divisions of race, education level and generation. While in London, he will continue his work and research in economic inequality.
“I loved the U.K. when I was there before, so I’m incredibly excited to go back,” Sweeney said.
Editor's Note: Tom Sweeney is an opinion editor at the Indiana Daily Student.
