A senior at the University of Georgia is one of 32 students nationwide to be named a 2017 Rhodes Scholar.
Laura Courchesne is also the 24th UGA student to receive the honor.
Scholars are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, according to the organization, but also for their character, commitment to others and the common good, and for their potential for leadership.
University spokeswoman Stephanie Schupska said Courchesne plans to attend the University of Oxford in 2017 to pursue master’s degrees in social anthropology and politics research.
“I am fascinated with what influences non-violent populations to begin endorsing and engaging in violence, the strength of social bonds within violent organizations, how resources shape organizational structure, and the types of relationships non-state armed groups form with civilians,” Courchesne said. “There is an unseen human aspect to war and conflict that I aim to discover.”
UGA President Jere W. Morehead said her outstanding record at the university, including being an Honors teaching assistant at UGA, an editor for the UGA Journal for Undergraduate Research Opportunities and on the board of trustees for the Jonathan D. Rosen Family Charitable Foundation, made this award possible for Courchesne.
“Her research interests have the potential to impact the world around us,” Morehead said. “I look forward to all that she will continue to accomplish as a UGA alumna and Rhodes Scholar.”
Other recent Rhodes Scholarship recipients from UGA include Juliet Elizabeth Allan in 2013, Tracy Yang in 2011, and Deep Shah and Kate Vyborny in 2008.
James C. Pavur, an Atlanta native and Georgetown University student, was also named a 2017 Rhodes Scholar.
READ: Atlanta man one of 32 chosen as a 2017 Rhodes Scholar
About the Author
