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Two Nominated for Rhodes, Marshall Scholarships
Nov. 4, 2009
Contact: Bill Gibbs, billgibbs@tamu.edu, 979-777-0171
COLLEGE STATION--Two students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University have been nominated for Rhodes or Marshall scholarships. These are two of the most prestigious and highly-coveted academic scholarships available to U.S. students, according to the Texas A&M Office of Honors Programs.
Anna Lee Allcorn of Olton, class of 2010 has been nominated for the Rhodes Scholarship. She will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, after completing her undergraduate studies in only two years. An active student leader, she is co-chair of the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Freshman Leadership Experience and a member of AggieREPS. She has owned and operated her own cattle operation since the age of 13. Allcorn plans on a career in international development and will study economics for development at Oxford University if selected as a Rhodes Scholar. 
Ella Doerge, a genetics major from Clive, Iowa, also will graduate in 2010. She is applying for both the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships. A member of the Texas A&M Women’s Swimming and Diving team, she is a First Team Academic All-Big XII selection and ranks in the Texas A&M all-time top 10 times in five different events. This past summer, she qualified for the US National Championships and World Championship Trials. An Honors Programs University Scholar, she was also the Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and is the co-founder of WorldMed, a student organization that conducts international medical missions. She plans to attend medical school and study prenatal genetics. If selected as a Rhodes or Marshall Scholar, Doerge will study clinical embryology at Oxford University.
Rhodes Scholarships provide for two to three years of graduate study at Oxford University. Marshall Scholarships provide for two years of study at any university in the United Kingdom. Nominees must be graduating seniors or recent graduates and be nominated by their university.
“The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is extremely proud of the accomplishments of Anna and Ella,” Associate Dean for Student Development Chris Skaggs said. “Anna successfully adjusted to life at Texas A&M after graduating in a high school class of 55. She was extremely active in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Freshman Leadership Experience last year and has excelled scholastically as well. Ella is an outstanding scholar who juggles a busy schedule as a member of the Texas A&M Women’s Swim Team. She was the co-founder of WorldMed, a student organization on campus which fosters global health outreach. We appreciate all these students have done to make a difference at Texas A&M and wish both the best in the upcoming interview process,” Skaggs said.
Nomination for consideration is highly selective. Across the United States, only about 1,000 students are nominated for the Rhodes Scholarship each year and about 1,100 for the Marshall Scholarship. Thirty-two Rhodes Scholars and 40 Marshall Scholars will be selected from the pool of nominees.
The nominees will be notified of their selection as finalists in the next two weeks. Finalists will then participate in regional or district interviews in Houston in November. The announcement of scholars will be announced by the foundations following the finalist interviews.
Texas A&M nominated a total of five students. Other nominees are Mark Deimund, a chemical engineering major, Paige Ibanez, a double-major in English and history, and Karthik Venkatraj, an international studies major.
Texas A&M has produced seven Rhodes Scholars and four Marshall Scholars, the most recent being 2005 Rhodes Scholar Nick Anthis, a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences student who majored in biochemistry. In the 2009 competition, biochemistry major Matthew Hickey, also from the college, was a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship.
About the college:
With an enrollment of almost 6,500 students in 14 academic departments, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees and has a faculty of over 400 members, including a Nobel laureate and a Pulitzer Prize winner. Research programs include food sustainability and safety, human and animal health, genetics, renewable natural resources and bioenergy. Mark Hussey is Vice Chancellor and Dean.
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