USC has proved it can be not only a dominant force in athletics but also in academics.
For the 21st consecutive year, USC students have been named Barry Goldwater Scholars.
This year’s winners are Drew DeLorenzo, a third-year marine science, biochemistry and molecular biology student, and MacKenzie Sunday, a third-year student pursuing a Baccalaureus Artium et Scientiae degree with a focus in neuroscience.
John Clegg, a third-year biomedical engineering student, and Francesco Risalvato, a third-year chemical engineering student, were named honorable mentions for the award.
All four are students in the South Carolina Honors College.
The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded nationally to sophomores and juniors pursuing bachelor’s degrees in natural sciences, mathematics or engineering and who intend to pursue a career in research or college-level teaching. Each scholarship covers the costs of undergraduate tuition, fees, books and room and board up to $7,500 annually for either one or two academic years, depending on the recipient’s class standing.
DeLorenzo previously applied for the award last year and said being named a Goldwater Scholar carries important meaning for his future.
“The actual winning of the Goldwater Scholarship has already influenced my life, as faculty and administrators all over campus now know about me and my fellow scholars,” said DeLorenzo. “I am sure that the prestige of this award will impact my future endeavors and professional career, but I believe that the application process itself may have had an even larger impact.”
Sunday is currently studying abroad in New Zealand and was not available to comment on her award.
Novella F. Beskid, director of the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs (OFSP), said the process for applying for the Goldwater Scholarship is an enriching one for students.
“We assess our students, and they’ve said, ‘Gosh, I have a better idea of what career path I want to go on to,’ or, ‘I’ve got a better idea of what graduate school options I have.’ So it’s that educational component that is the most important thing to us,” Beskid said.
Clegg said applying for the Goldwater Scholarship helped him refine his interests as to what he hopes to gain both academically and professionally.
His advice to students who would like to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship or any other award in the future is to start talking with OFSP and to allow the advisers to help with the application process as soon as possible. He said it is also helpful to get in contact with research mentors or professors for letters of recommendations.
Similarly, Risalvato said he found the application process “a great opportunity for me to reflect and quantify the work that I have done throughout my college career.”
He said the application process was time consuming but that he is lucky to have had a mentor to help him expand his skill set.
Beskid said the biggest goal for OFSP is for students to be able to define “who they are, what they want to do and why they want to do it.”
“Do we want our students to win? Absolutely. But if they’re not learning and growing and developing further as students as a part of that process, then we have not won,” Beskid said.
Up to 300 Goldwater Scholarships are awarded nationally each year. Each four-year university may nominate up to four students. Last year, three USC students were named Goldwater Scholars. In total, USC students have won 43 Goldwater Scholarships since 1990.