Grace McMonagle Receives Self Graduate Fellow
LAWRENCE – Twelve doctoral students have been selected to receive the University of Kansas’ prestigious Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship for the 2018-2019 academic year. They are among 188 students who have benefited from the fellowship since it was established.
Self Graduate Fellowships are four-year awards to incoming or first-year doctoral students who demonstrate leadership, initiative and a passion for achievement. The fellowship covers full tuition and fees, provides graduate research assistant support of $30,500 a year for new fellows, a $5,500 professional development award, and includes a unique development program.
The Fellow Development Program provides general education and training in communication, management, innovation and leadership to assist Self Graduate Fellows in preparation for future leadership roles, complementing the specialized education and training provided in doctoral programs. The total value of the four-year doctoral fellowship exceeds $175,000.
The fellowship’s mission is to identify and recruit exceptional doctoral students who demonstrate the promise to make significant contributions to their fields and society as a whole.
The late Madison “Al” and Lila Self of Hinsdale, Illinois, launched and permanently endowed the Self Graduate Fellowship in 1989, motivated by their strong belief in the vital importance of developing leadership for tomorrow. Madison Self was a 1943 KU graduate in chemical engineering. Lila Self grew up in Eudora and attended KU with the Class of 1943.
The new Self Graduate Fellows for 2018-2022:
Nadia Alissa, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; bachelor’s degree in medical lab sciences and master’s degree in clinical microbiology and immunology from Jordan University of Science and Technology; first-year doctoral student in the interdisciplinary graduate program in biomedical sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center
Brae Bigge, of Norton; bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Wichita State University; first-year doctoral student in the interdisciplinary graduate program in biomedical sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center
Christine Chan, of San Diego; bachelor's degree in geology, environmental studies minor from the University of Puget Sound, master’s in geology from Oregon State University; incoming doctoral student in geology
Devon DeRaad, of Scottsdale, Arizona; bachelor's degree in biology from Occidental College; incoming doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology
Grace McMonagle, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; expected bachelor's degree in mathematics and statistics from Grand Valley State University (2018); incoming doctoral student in mathematics
Jennifer Robinson, of Middleport, Ohio; bachelor's degree in chemical engineering with a concentration in biology from Ohio University; incoming doctoral student in bioengineering
Ryan Skaar, of Story City, Iowa; bachelor's degree in biochemistry, mathematics Minor from Simpson College; first-year doctoral student in pharmaceutical chemistry
Christopher Tacca, of Fogelsville, Pennsylvania; expected bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Bucknell University (2018); incoming doctoral student in bioengineering
Kristina Tirol-Carmody, of Lawrence; bachelor's degree in supply chain management and bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of Kansas; incoming doctoral student in business
Brett Whorley, of Omaha, Nebraska; expected bachelor's degree in biological systems engineering, biomedical engineering and business minors from University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2018); incoming doctoral student in bioengineering
Alexander Wilson, of Wichita; expected bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Kansas (2018); incoming doctoral student in mechanical engineering
Michael Wrigley, of Charleston, South Carolina; bachelor's degree in chemistry from the College of Charleston; first-year doctoral student in chemistry.