UTC RAVE Alert

The Office of National Scholarships

Girl in chair with projected screen behind her

Connecting students and alumni with national awards.

Founded in January 2018, the Office of National Scholarships (ONS) provides information and support for UTC students and recent alumni interested in pursuing nationally competitive merit awards. 

The scholarships and fellowships advised within the ONS are different than most of the typical "merit" or financial aid scholarships that support undergraduate education. 

These  awards are funded by external sources such as government agencies or non-profit organizations to support specific endeavors or missions.

Transformative Experience

The application processes for these awards, regardless of the outcome, are often transformative experiences and can springboard a student’s personal and professional goals. While the process may be challenging, it's a worthwhile endeavor and students rarely regret the experience.

The Process

National Scholarships fall into two basic categories: “nominated” awards that have a preliminary application process and “open” awards to which students may directly apply. Many scholarships require applicants to receive the endorsement or nomination of the university before applying. If an institutional endorsement is necessary, then the applicant will follow a set of campus application procedures before submitting the final application.

For awards requiring university endorsement, ONS establishes a campus deadline in advance of the final submission deadline to allow time for application review and committee interviews. The campus deadline will occur weeks or even months prior to the national deadlines posted online, so it is important to take note of both dates. Students must meet the campus deadline to be considered for endorsement.  

What makes for a competitive applicant?

We are looking for talented and motivated students who want to challenge themselves through a process of deep self-reflection. Students who have any of the following attributes are encouraged to contact us:

  • Demonstrated Leadership Abilities
  • Creative & Original Research
  • Academic Ability/Intellect
  • Commitment to Community Service
  • Desire & Curiosity to learn more about the world
  • Confidence & Self-Knowledge

Disclaimer

The Office of National Scholarships (ONS) supports UTC undergraduates and alumni who are undertaking nationally-competitive application processes. It provides support only and cannot, under any circumstances, accept responsibility for missed deadlines, incomplete applications, missing letters of recommendation or other supplementary materials, or selection outcomes at the campus or national level. The responsibility of completing and submitting an application rests solely on the student or alumni engaging in a national application process. The ONS does not guarantee or promise any outcome.

Announcements

Congratulations to our recent award semi-finalists, alternates, and recipients!

Emma Sprayberry '24 was awarded a Pickering Fellowship, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State to train the next generation of American diplomats. She started a fully-funded masters in International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University in Fall 2025. You can find more information here.

Rosaline Gragg '26 was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates scholarship to research marine biology at the University of Southern California. You can find more information here. 

Ben DeWitt '26 was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates scholarship to research integrated microbial and plant systems at North Carolina State University. You can find more information here.

Tauheedah Brady '28 was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates scholarship to research chemistry education at the University of Mississippi. You can find more information here.

Trinity Anthony '28 was named a finalist for the United Kingdom Fulbright Summer Institute. You can find more information about the program here. 

Landon Schuster '26 was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates scholarship to engage in research on salamanders. You can find more information here.

Vinny Nguyen '27 was awarded the Boren Scholarship, which is funded by the Department of Defense. He will spend the 2025-26 academic year in Vietnam learning Vietnamese, and language the DoD has designated as strategic to American interests abroad. You can find more information here.

Durand Henderson '25 was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship Spark award. Durand will participate in intensive virtual instruction in Korean over the summer. You can find more information here.

Vinny Nguyen '27 was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship for summer 2025. Vinny will be studying Mandarin in Taiwan over the summer. Vinny was also named an alternate for the Boren Scholarship to study Vietnamese. You can find more information here.

Marietta Song '23 was named a semi-finalist for the Fulbright Scholarship. Mary applied to the English Teaching Assistant program in Cambodia. 

Kylie Knott '25 was named a semi-finalist for the Fulbright Scholarship. Mary applied to the English Teaching Assistant program in the Czech Republic. 

Mary Bennett '24 was named a semi-finalist for the Fulbright Scholarship. Mary applied to the English Teaching Assistant program in Spain. 

Mandy Tran and Lindsey Rico were awarded Gilman Scholarships to study abroad in Vietnam and France, respectively. The Gilman increases access to students to travel and study outside the United States.

AJ Galluzi '26 was awarded the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellowship to attend a seven-week program at the University of Michigan in summer 2025. AJ was on of only 24 students selected for the program, which focuses on preparing the next generation of leaders in public policy. AJ is an economics and finance major and part of the Innovations in Honors program at the UTC Honors College. 

Erin Yenawine '26 was awarded a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates scholarship for Summer 2024. Erin participated in an eight-week program at Southern Methodist University entitled Data Science for Social Good, where she learned python coding and data science that applied to public policy issues in the United States. In particular, Erin worked on a project focused on human trafficking, which aligned closely with her major in Political Science. Erin was also nimonated by UTC for the Truman Scholarship in 2025, the flagship award for students interested in public service.

Emily Patton '24 was rewarded as a Portz Scholar by the National Collegiate Honors Council. The award recognizes the best honors theses in the United Sates. Emily's thesis, titled "The Gavel and the Camera: Environmental Law and Photojournalism's Relationship to Appalachian Identity," is rooted in her grandfather's experience as a coal miner in Harlan, Kentucky. She is the first UTC student to receive this national award and is reflective of the impact of the capstone project in the Honors College. 

Emma Sprayberry '24 was named a Fulbright Scholar for AY 24-25. She will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international exchange program sponsored by the US government, providing awards to approximately 8,000 students, scholars, teacher, artists, and professionals each year. 

Christine Rukeyser '23 and Bre-Anna Willis '22 received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program award, which provides $17,000 in tuition assistance and a $37,000 annual stipend for three years. The NSF GRFP is one of the premier graduate STEM awards in the United States. Christine will starting her PhD at Northwestern University in the Fall and Bre-Anna will continue her PhD studies at the University of Connecticut. You can find out more about their stories here.

Emma Roy '25 was awarded a Boren Scholarship by the U.S. Department of Defense to study Chinese in Taiwan for the 2024-2025 academic year. The scholarship covers tuition, travel, living expenses and other educational expenditures related to the study abroad experience and supports "the public sector’s next generation of influencers and innovators." You can find out more about Emma's award here.

Oleander Reagan-Artemis '22 received the Fulbright U.S. Student Program award for an English Teaching Assistant position in Romania for the 2023-2024 award cycle. 

Julie Goonetilleke '23 was named a semifinalist for the Fulbright ETA award to Mexico for the 2023-2024 competition cycle. 

Lake Best '24 received the Fulbright-Canada MITACS Globalink research internship for Summer 2023 at the University of Winnipeg. The 12-week long internship places U.S. students in Canadian universities to assist in an advanced research project. 

Jannat Saeed '24 was accepted into the Public Policy & Internation Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University. The PPIA JSI is a rigorous academic graduate-level preparation program for undergraduate juniors committed to public service careers.

Emma Sprayberry '24 was accepted into the Public Policy & Internation Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The PPIA JSI is a rigorous academic graduate-level preparation program for undergraduate juniors commited to public service careers. 

Contact Dr. Straussberger at [email protected] for more information about nationally-competitive awards.

National Scholarships

National Scholarships