Whitman junior wins Beinecke Scholarship

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WALLA WALLA, WA (05/11/2012)(readMedia)-- Gabriella Friedman, an English major from Milwaukee, Wis., is one of only 18 juniors nationwide to receive the Beinecke Scholarship, which recognizes highly motivated students of "exceptional promise" in their scholarly fields. The award provides up to $30,000 for study toward a doctorate in the humanities, arts or social sciences. There are no geographic restrictions, but recipients are encouraged to begin graduate study as soon as possible following graduation from college.

Friedman, who has minors in French and gender studies and is currently in an off-campus studies program in Paris, hopes to attend graduate school to study comparative literature after Whitman. Her top choices are Emory and Cornell.

"I am thrilled about receiving the Beinecke because it makes my plans to attend graduate school and pursue an academic career a little more realistic," she said. "I am indebted to my professors who have helped me explore and develop my interests."

English Professor Theresa DiPasquale, who helped guide Friedman during the application process, characterizes her as "precisely the kind of student the Beineke Scholarship is meant to encourage."

"Gabriella is a brilliant literary analyst and a disciplined thinker with a clear sense of what she hopes to accomplish in graduate school and beyond," DiPasquale said. "She writes beautifully and persuasively, and her work ethic is incomparable."

At Whitman, Friedman has served as a Perry Grant research assistant for Zahi Zalloua, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, French, and has already received awards for academic distinction and undergraduate honors.