Susanna Throop, a May 2000 graduate of Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences and a 1996 graduate of Newfield High School, has been awarded the prestigious Gates-Cambridge Trust Scholarship inaugurated this year. Throop will pursue a three-year doctoral degree in history at Cambridge University beginning in September of this year.

"I am, of course, immensely grateful for the scholarship – I would be unable to study at Cambridge without it," said Throop, a double major in history and English who received several prestigious awards while at Cornell. "One thing about the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship that struck me from the beginning was the emphasis placed on finding and funding people with specific academic and professional goals that focus on making a real contribution to society."

Established by the William and Melinda Gates Foundation, the scholarship supports up to four years of postgraduate study at Cambridge beginning in October 2001. The foundation's goal is to create a network of future leaders from around the world who will bring new vision and commitment to improving the life circumstances of citizens in their respective countries, according to the foundation's mission statement. It is anticipated that Gates-Cambridge scholars will become leaders in helping to address global problems related to health, equity, technology and learning. Applicants from every country of the world, except the United Kingdom, are eligible to apply.

Throop received her M.A. degree in medieval studies from the University of Toronto in April 2001. While at Cornell, she received numerous honors, including a 2000

Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies, a Merrill Presidential Scholar award and the 2000 George S. Lustig Prize for the most outstanding senior history major. She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and the Golden Key National Honor Society, and she received a National Federation of Music Trophy for Excellence in Piano in 1992 and 1994.

For more information about the Gates-Cambridge Trust Scholarship, contact Beth Fiori, Cornell fellowships coordinator, at (607) 255-6923.