Study Abroad: 3 seniors at Harvard University have been designated Marshall Scholars

The 40 recipients of the 2023 Marshall Scholarship included three study abroad aspirants and seniors from Harvard University. The award winners will spend the next year pursuing graduate studies in the United Kingdom in the fields of engineering sciences, chemical and physical biology, and government.

In 1953, the British Parliament passed an act establishing the Marshall Scholarship in honor of Gen. George Marshall, a former secretary of state of the United States, and to thank the country for its support of the Marshall Plan. Among the 951 study abroad aspirants’ applications that were received this year, 32 American universities were represented.

The British government announced that Harvard University students Grace R. Kim (’23), Kavya M. Shah (’23), and Aristotle Vainikos (’23) had been selected as Marshall Scholars. 

This year, Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania all produced a similar number of Marshall Scholars. The College now has 259 Marshall Scholars in total, more than any other university; Princeton is in second place with 139. Kim, Shah, and Vainikos increase this total.

Shah, a Lowell House concentrator in Chemical and Physical Biology and a former Crimson news editor, was in Cabot library when he received the call. At first, he thought it was spam before looking at the caller ID.

The three intend to start their studies in the UK this fall and are now applying to their top-choice universities. The Marshall Scholarship merely pays for tuition and does not ensure acceptance to any British university.

The scholars’ application procedure started in the late spring and early summer once they received Harvard’s approval. Interviews for the scholarship were held in November after shortlisted candidates were notified in October.

The study abroad aspirants and recipients of the awards stated that the application procedure improved their understanding of their own academic interests.

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