Karki '09 Wins Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship
Shrochis Karki, a Class of 2009 graduate from Kathmandu, Nepal, has been awarded a highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke scholarship to pursue graduate study at Oxford University. The scholarship is worth up to $50,000 per year for as many as six years. Karki vied with one thousand nominees to win one of the thirty graduate scholarships awarded this year.
Karki, who double-majored in international studies and political science, will pursue a master's degree in development studies at Oxford, where he previously studied during his junior year abroad. He plans to pursue a career either in politics or in civil society organizations that will help further the goals of economic, social, and political development in Nepal.
"I am very excited and relieved that I have received this fellowship," said Karki. "Graduate school was going to be very tough without it. I was worried I might have to make some changes in my goals to be able to pay off student loan debt. I feel that I can now follow my passion without any such limitation and pursue a career in the non-profit world."
Karki earned highest honors this spring for his international studies thesis, "The Future of Nepal: Civil Society Organizations, Millennium Development Goals, and Development Strategies." His thesis examined the complex interactions among international organizations, local communities, development workers, and the newly democratic Nepali government as they negotiate the processes of development.
Active in student governance, as a senior Karki served as president of the Student Council . He was also the captain of the Model UN team and the academic coordinator of Alpha Delta Phi, a fraternity. He is an inducted member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, and of Phi Beta Kappa.
Karki says the guidance he received from professors Wendy Singer, Pam Jensen, Steve Van Holde, and Yang Xiao, and support from academic dean Jane Martindell and her staff, were crucial to his success.
"When I got the call, I made a lot of inaudible noises on the phone because it was hard to comprehend this was actually happening," Karki recalls. "In addition to being extremely excited, relieved, and thankful, I also feel fortunate in receiving this award. I just want to thank all my friends, mentors, and the College for giving me this wonderful opportunity and this wonderful education."
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation was established in 2000 as the legacy of a self-made man who overcame severe financial obstacles to achieve at the highest levels. The foundation's scholarships are designed to encourage and support outstanding students who have a breadth of interests, work hard, demonstrate a strong will to succeed, and have financial need.
Photo by Christian Martinez-Canchola