Westborough native Lauren DeRusha Awarded Fulbright Scholarship

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Headshot of Lauren DeRusha

EASTON, MA (04/06/2011)(readMedia)-- Stonehill College International Studies major Lauren DeRusha '11 has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, which provides college graduates the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. DeRusha, a native of Westborough, MA, is seeking to implement a community-run water filtration system in Ecuador, where clean water is a paramount need.

"We are hard-pressed to imagine a person more passionate and experimentally prepared than Lauren to carry out a project that has the potential to positively impact the lives of literally millions of people," says Craig Almeida, dean of Academic Achievement at Stonehill.

DeRusha first went to Ecuador in August of 2009 through the School for International Training (SIT) and Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) study abroad programs. Through the SIT program, she studied Culture and Development and through IES, she took part in the Quito Language & Area Studies Program.

While studying in Ecuador, she completed a research project titled "Victims of Water," which documents the various abuses of the privatized water system in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The results of the project were circulated through Ecuador's non-profit and governmental sectors, including the President of the Republic and all members of the National Assembly.

"In Ecuador, as in many developing countries, the debate is currently raging about how water should be provided to citizens. My undergraduate research uncovered a host of overlooked problems resulting from the corporate-controlled water system in Guayaquil," says DeRusha, who believes through further extensive research, "a feasible solution can be made that would allow the people of Ecuador access to their true human right to water.

At Stonehill, DeRusha has been active on many fronts, from creating a student Activism Club to serving as co-president of the Girls From the Hill a cappella group.

This year the Activism Club, which has grown to 40 student members, has focused on water justice issues and is supporting the national "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign.

DeRusha has also served as a student leader and intern for the H.O.P.E. Alternative Spring Break Program at Stonehill, taking part in trips to the Dominican Republic, Texas and Peru. She has also been a two-time participant in the Americorps Leaders in Service program.

A four-year member of Stonehill's Honors Program, she received the 2009 Stonehill Social Justice Award, and, in 2008, she won the Class of 2011 Leadership Award. She is also a two-time winner of the Class of 2011 Community Service Award.

DeRusha has completed internships for Corporate Accountability International in Boston as a Water Campaign Regional Organizer and for the Wayside Youth Support Network in Framingham. In addition, she participated in Stonehill's Developing Fundraising Leaders Institute, an innovative program that educates Stonehill students on all aspects of nonprofit fundraising.

While in Ecuador, she worked at the Inlingua Language Institute as an English teacher, the Baca Ortiz Childrens' Hospital, and the Citizens' Observatory.

Upon the completion of her work overseas, DeRusha plans to pursue a master's degree in Public Health or Urban Planning.