WASHINGTON, PA (Dec. 22, 2015) — With the holiday season in full swing, Washington & Jefferson College’s (W&J) Tyler Tenney said W&J is quickly approaching another exciting time of year.
“Just as the NCAA has March Madness for basketball, I like to say that W&J has Magellan Madness during the month of March,” said Tenney, Coordinator for Co-curricular Innovation at W&J. “Project proposals are so unique and dynamic, it is impossible to predict how many applications we will get every year or the scope of the projects. It is certain, however, that each Magellan season brings new stories to be told.”
The Magellan Project, one of W&J’s signature programs, was established in 2008 and provides scholarship funding for W&J students to spend the summer pursuing independent projects and internships that extend liberal arts learning outside the classroom.
A group of 68 W&J students – the largest group of Magellan Scholars to date – completed Magellan Projects during the summer of 2015 in 35 countries and in a variety of unique areas of study. The 2015 group received more than $170,000 in total scholarship funding to pursue scientific, cultural and historic research, ecological and religious studies, internships in business, political science, health fields and more.
“What makes the Magellan Project so unique is that students pursuing a Magellan create these experiences themselves from beginning to end, with the support and guidance of faculty and staff advisors,” Tenney said. “Magellan Scholars are not told what or where they must study or intern, but are rather told to ‘write your own story.’”
Projects of the 2015 group included: Linguistics and the Business of Art (Elizabeth Bean ’18, Uruguay; Animal Health and Presence in Chernobyl (Davy Oliverio ’18, England and Ukraine); Cross-Cultural Research on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Alexander Tolbert ’18, Israel); Chariots for Hope Internship (Brianne Alban ’17, Kenya) Culinary Delights Across Chinese Provinces (Tina Lee ’17, China); Psychological Stigmas (Kathryn Chase ’17, France and Monaco); The Grace Effect (Courtney Brennan ’16, France and Monaco); Biomedical Research, L’Universite Paris Descartes (Blynn Shideler ’18, Paris, France); and Communications Internship for Tiffany & Co. (Bailey Mudrick, New York, New York), among numerous others. A full list, as well as links to blogs kept by each Magellan recipient during their project, is available on the Magellan Recipients & Projects web page.
“My Magellan taught me a lot about motivating myself to do work and to complete it efficiently. It taught me to become more confident about myself. Now, I feel fully confident in my abilities to live alone and travel the world,” Oliverio said of his time in Chernobyl.
Applications are due in either February or April, depending on whether the student’s proposal is for an independent project, or is linked to an internship.
“We hold our applicants to high standards, as they have high standards for themselves to do something great in their own way,” Tenney said. “I, along with the scholarship committee and the W&J Community, look forward to when the 2016 Magellan Scholars are announced and we can witness the stories they’ve written unfold next summer.”
About the Magellan Project
Established in 2008, Washington & Jefferson College’s unique Magellan Project extends liberal arts learning outside the classroom by providing scholarship funding for students to spend the summer pursuing independent projects and internships in the United States and abroad. Learn more about the Magellan Project on the W&J website.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
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