Twelve George J. Mitchell Scholars have been selected in a nationwide competition for a year of post-graduate study at universities in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Launched in 1998, the Mitchell Scholarship recognizes outstanding young Americans who exhibit the highest standards of academic excellence, leadership and community service. The Scholarship, administered by the US-Ireland Alliance, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, is named in honor of the pivotal leadership role by the former U.S. Senator in the Northern Ireland peace process. 

The Mitchell Scholarships are already one of the most prestigious and intensely competed fellowship programs in the United States. Recipients have withdrawn from the long-established Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright competitions to accept a Mitchell Scholarship. This year’s Mitchell competition for 12 awards had 245 applicants from 166 colleges and universities across the country. 

The 12 Mitchell Scholars for the 2004-2005 academic year with their U.S. universities and their university assignments are:

Monica Bell (West Columbia, South Carolina)

Furman University  University College Dublin

Monica Bell. A May 2003 graduate of Furman University with majors in political science and sociology, Monica was the recipient of a Harry S. Truman Scholar award and was honored by Furman with the American Legion Medal, awarded to only two graduating seniors. At Furman, Monica also was a leader with the Activities Board, Association of Furman Students, and College Democrats. As an officer with the Student League for Black Culture, she was instrumental in fostering an increased Furman campus appreciation of black culture and achievements. Monica worked as an intern at the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department where she investigated voting cases in New Jersey, Florida, and New Mexico. A resident of Columbia, South Carolina, she is now the Office Manager of the South Carolina Democratic Party and will pursue a degree in Equality Studies at University College Dublin.

Alex Bradford (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Stanford University  Dublin City University

Alex Bradford. A projected 2004 graduate of Stanford University, Alex is Senior Class Co-President and was a member of the Student Senate. A Minneapolis, Minnesota native, he is the co-founder and editor of the Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal, an initiative to foster increased intellectual activity across disciplines at Stanford. Alex also is co-founder and president of the Student Global AIDS Campaign to mobilize students to address the global AIDS crisis as well as Executive National Director of the AIDS Treatment Access Initiative organizing grassroots campaigns at over 60 chapters across the country. His other leadership positions have included the Oxfam-Student Chapter (to raise awareness of starvation in Africa) and Alternative Spring Break to engage students in international, socially-minded projects. As a Mitchell Scholar, Alex will study Globalization at Dublin City University.

David Buckley (Baltimore, Maryland)

University of Virginia  Queen’s University Belfast

David Buckley. Graduating in 2004 from the University of Virginia, David is president of the International Relations Organization at the Charlottesville campus and responsible for developing weekly programs to advance discussion of global issues. He is also founder of the Wilson Journal of International Affairs which features essays on foreign policy topics by UVA students and faculty. David was the UVA Student Events Coordinator for the Children of Abraham Institute, an international movement of intellectuals and religious leaders who strive to use religion as a means of international conflict resolution. A leader in the Virginia Model UN Conference and the Virginia International Simulation, he also served as an intern in the office of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. David, who resides in Baltimore, Maryland, will study Comparative Ethnic Conflict at Queen's University Belfast.

Michael Gale (Charleston, West Virginia)

University of Florida National University of Ireland, Galway

Michael Gale. A 2003 University of Florida graduate with a degree in zoology, Michael has been passionately involved with animal welfare and environmental issues. He has had extensive practical experience with the Florida Museum of Natural History, the National Zoological Park in Washington, the Baltimore Zoo and, most recently, as a Government Affairs Policy Fellow at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Michael was active in the University of Florida student government where he served as Environmental Affairs Cabinet Director. He received a Harry S. Truman Scholar award as well as the Morris K. Udall Scholarship for outstanding U.S. students committed to the environment. He was only one of four graduating seniors to win University of Florida’s Outstanding Student Graduate recognition. A native of Charleston, West Virginia, Michael will study Zoology and the National University of Ireland Galway.

Ryan Hanley (Hickory, North Carolina)

Johns Hopkins University Trinity College Dublin

Ryan Hanley. Ryan will graduate next spring from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Inspired by the memory of his father, who died of cancer, Ryan is the Founder and Executive Director of the 4K for Cancer, a national student-run organization dedicated to uniting communities to fight cancer through widely publicized cross-country bicycle rides to raise funds and increase public awareness. The group is working now on its third annual Hopkins 4K for Cancer event. An accomplished athlete, Ryan was a starting player on the Johns Hopkins varsity soccer team that was ranked as high as sixth in NCAA Division III. Earlier this year, he spent a semester studying in Prague and played for the Charles University soccer team. A resident of Hickory, North Carolina, Ryan will study for a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. 

Nicholas Johnson (El Paso, Texas)

Northwestern University Trinity College Dublin

Nicholas Johnson. Born in Alaska and now a resident of El Paso, Texas, Nick graduated from Northwestern University in June 2003 with a degree in Theater. He is now in Berlin studying the work of Bertolt Brecht with a fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Nick has been involved with the theater since the age of seven and has acted in more than 40 plays in Texas, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Turkey, Greece, New York, Scotland, France as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington. At Northwestern, he founded and directed The Ensemble, an alternative student dramatic group, and received the Walton Outstanding Senior award by the Northwestern theater faculty. Nick has a special interest in Samuel Beckett and received a research grant for study of Beckett at the Trinity College Library in Dublin and the Beckett Archive at the University of Reading. As a Mitchell Scholar, he will pursue his work on Beckett by studying for a Master’s in Drama Studies at Trinity’s Samuel Beckett Centre. 

Zachery Keplinger-Coelius (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

University of Minnesota University of Limerick

Zachery Keplinger-Coelius. Expecting to graduate from the University of Minnesota next spring with a degree in political science, Zach’s passion for the political world extends well beyond the classroom. Concerned about voter apathy, he founded in 2002 a non-profit organization called Votes for Students reaching more than a half million college students around the country. After Zach raised several hundred thousand dollars in funding, the organization provided voter registration forms, assisted in finding polling places, and distributed non-partisan information about candidates nationwide. Zach also runs a business that trades and sells collectibles at the Olympics. USA Today named Zach a member of its "All USA Academic Team." He has been active on the debating scene and last year won 7th place in Oxford University’s International Debate Tournament. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Zach will seek a Master’s degree in International Studies at the University of Limerick.

Frank Lilley (Jackson, Mississippi)

Mississippi State University University of Limerick

Frank (Smith) Lilley. A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Smith will complete his undergraduate degree in Political Science at Mississippi State University next spring. He served as Chair and Vice Chair of the University Honors Council at MSU and received the Outstanding Honors Student award as the best of more than 1000 students enrolled in the program. Smith is the Cadet Wing Commander for the AFROTC unit responsible for the training and supervision of 90 cadets. He also was the Secretary General of the Mississippi Model Security Council and was the Chief Delegate of his university’s National Model UN team. Smith has been active in the College Republican organization on the MSU campus and was both founder and president of the university’s Speech and Debate Association. As a Mitchell Scholar, Smith will study International Studies at the University of Limerick.

Robert Mulcare (Greenwich, Connecticut)

Princeton University National University of Ireland, Galway

Robert Mulcare. Graduating next spring from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs, Bobby is the president of the Foundation for Student Communication, a major non-profit organization that strives to build a community in which business leaders and undergraduate students can work together to affect world affairs. Having generated $500,000 in fundraising for the Foundation, Bobby administers the group’s wide-ranging activities, including the most widely circulated student publication in the world and America’s premier collegiate business conference. The Business Today International Conference, which Bobby directed, last year attracted more than 80 corporations as well as student delegates from 92 schools in sixteen countries. As a Mitchell Scholar, he will study for a Master’s degree in Economic Policy Evaluation at the National University of Ireland Galway.

Robert Paul Musgrave (Evansville, Indiana)

Indiana University University College Dublin

Robert (Paul) Musgrave. Paul will receive a Bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Indiana University (Bloomington) in May 2004. His academic interest in politics reflects a passionate and extensive engagement in practical political activity. He has been an elected county delegate to Indiana Republican conventions and participated actively in both state and national level campaigns. Paul served as an intern in the office of Senator Richard Lugar (R-Indiana). At Indiana, he was the founder and editor-in-chief of Hoosier Review, an online news and commentary publication that is the university’s principal alternative news source. Paul also writes a weekly column for the Indiana Daily Student on international, national, and campus issues. A resident of Evansville, Indiana, Paul will study Politics at University College Dublin.

Cynthia Romero (North Brunswick, New Jersey)

Princeton University Queen’s University Belfast

Cynthia Romero. A prospective 2004 graduate of Princeton University with a degree in public and international affairs, Cindy has been the driving force on the campus for expanded awareness and presence of Latino culture. She is president of Accion Puertorriquena y Amigos, the student Latino organization that is the platform for cultural events, speaker programs, and service projects with local Latino families. She directs a 25-member committee developing and administering the Latino Heritage Month at Princeton. Cindy had a particularly defining experience with an NGO in Romania involved in assisting the poor, discriminated Roma community there. She also studied for a semester at the Central European University in Budapest. She lives in North Brunswick, New Jersey, and will pursue a Master’s degree in Comparative Ethnic Conflict at the Queen's University in Belfast.

Brandon Thibodeaux (Erath, Louisiana)

Loyola University of New Orleans University of Ulster

Brandon Thibodeaux. In 2004, Brandon will receive a degree in Economics and Finance from Loyola University of New Orleans. He has served for two years as president of the College of Business student body and was personally responsible in persuading the University to support a major initiative ensuring that each student is equipped with a laptop computer in the classroom. Brandon was co-founder of Operation HELP that offered tutorial and mentoring assistance to inner city students with the college application process and standardized entrance exams. He is also the founder of the Speech and Debate team at Loyola. Last summer, Brandon was an intern in the economics section of the U.S. Embassy in Paris. He also worked for the World Trade Center of New Orleans preparing a study on the importance of Latin America to the Louisiana economy. A native of Erath, Louisiana, Brandon will study Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ulster.

The Mitchell Scholarship program was inaugurated in 1998 with an endowment established by the Government of Ireland. Other significant financial support is provided by the Northern Ireland Executive, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Automsoft, Becton Dickinson, Bombardier Aerospace (NI) Foundation, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, Crucible and the McDonnell Charitable Foundation. USIT, Ireland’s premier student travel organization, provides a travel stipend to each Scholar. Universities in Ireland and Northern Ireland are important partners in the program and furnish housing and tuition to the Mitchell Scholars.

The Mitchell Selection Committee included Dr. Ian Brick, a retired senior business executive born in Belfast and educated at Queen’s University; Noel Fahey, Irish Ambassador to the United States; Ambassador Kenton Keith, Senior Vice President of the Meridian International Center; Professor Maureen Murphy of Hofstra University; the Honorable Emily Reynolds, the Secretary of the United States Senate; Prof. Townsend Ludington of the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill; and Julia Rowland, Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship at the National Cancer Institute.

Corporate sponsors of the US-Ireland Alliance include: CRH, Diagego, Elan Corporation, IONA Technologies, Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, Riverdeep, and Skillsoft.