Two members of the junior class have brought distinction to Dickinson by receiving prestigious national scholarships.

Olivia Wilkins, a Chemistry and Math major, won the Goldwater Scholarship for leadership in the sciences. Mary Naydan, an English major and Education minor, is Dickinson’s first ever Beinecke Scholarship winner.

Wilkins discovered the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program while working in the Office of Academic Advising. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship “was established to promote the continuing education of prospective researchers in STEM fields by offering scholarships for the last year or two of undergraduate study,” according to Wilkins. Wilkins felt that this was a perfect opportunity for her, but did not realize how truly beneficial the entire application process would be.

Wilkins applied for the Goldwater twice. When she was named an honorable mention last year, President Dr. W. Franklin Gilmore of the Goldwater Foundation called Chemistry Professor and Goldwater Faculty Advisor Michael Holden to say that the scholarship reviewers were impressed with her application and recommended that she apply again the next year. She was also advised to approach the application as more like a journal article instead of a personal narrative, and to build up her science courses and research experience.

Part of the Goldwater application process was to discuss plans for the future, but Wilkins was unsure what to put on the first application.

“I knew I wanted to continue my education after Dickinson and that I wanted to do research, but that was about it,” said Wilkins. “I had encouragement from one of my professors the year before to think about pursuing a professorship after graduate studies, saying that my enthusiasm, energy and love for science were all things that would make an outstanding professor. I thought she was wrong. Being a professor or any type of educator was not something I was interested in initially. However, as I began to tutor and work as a teaching assistant and a writing associate, I started to realize that I loved working with students and talking about science and other interests with other people, something that is key to being a professor.”

When Wilkins submitted the next application, she had more experience to her name: creek sediment research with Associate Professor of Chemistry Amy Witter, a study on the antioxidant properties in grapes with Witter and Associate Professor of Biology Tom Arnold and research at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) under the guidance of Toney Minter. She also gained job experience working with students, and realized that she “had become much more comfortable with and excited about the prospect of being a professor,” explained Wilkins.

“Every opportunity Olivia pursues is intentional, authentic and with whole-hearted effort,” said Witter. “I can’t wait to see where her intellect and creativity take her.”

Her research at the NRAO was the focus of Wilkins’ winning second essay because it showed her interest in interdisciplinary work through using her math and chemistry majors to do astronomy, something that would seem to be an entirely unrelated field of study.

“The application process was extremely beneficial. While the monetary result of the process is awesome, I am even more thankful to have had the opportunity to reflect on questions about what my values are as a scientist, what I truly enjoy as a student (specifically in science and math), and what I want to do with my interests and talents. While the application process was a lot of work and very time-consuming, it was nice to be forced to reflect on why I have the jobs I have, why I have chosen to pursue a life of research, and what I want to do after Dickinson,” said Wilkins.

The Beinecke Scholarship is a program of the Sperry Fund in which approximately 125 Ivy League, selective liberal-arts and top-tier research institutions nationwide are able to nominate one undergraduate student for a $34,000 scholarships for graduate studies. 125 institutions are invited to nominate one student for the award each year, and 20 scholarships are awarded. This was the first year that Dickinson was in the pool of nominating institutions, and Professor of English Wendy Moffat felt that Naydan would be a perfect candidate. Moffat contacted Naydan while she was abroad in Norwich, England. Damon Yarnell, interim dean of advising and Beinecke liaison, encouraged Naydan to apply for the scholarship.

The application was standard, requiring a resume and letters of recommendation, alongside a 1,000 words personal statement about the applicant’s background, goals and graduate plans.

Naydan explained that she plans to use the money she receives to study literature and historical memory, possibly with a focus on digital humanities, at a top school such as Yale, Brown, Stanford or Columbia.

Naydan became interested in this topic when she took a course while abroad in England called The Contested Past: Literature and Politics of Memory. “It sparked my interest in literature’s role in shaping collective memory, how we remember traumatic historical events and how literature challenges and internalizes the narrative,” said Naydan. Her attention to the digital humanities came from a research project she conducted with Associate Professor of English Jacob Sider Jost this past summer. They used online databases to discover how poets of the 18th century made their livings.

“The application process was arduous but rewarding,” explained Naydan. “There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved in the process, and I really couldn’t have done it without the help of first and foremost my family, and secondly my professors.”

“The Beinecke Scholarship is one of the most important scholarships an undergraduate can win – Mary is an amazing student and is incredibly modest,” said Professor Johnston, chair of the English department. “She is very deserving of the scholarship and this is an amazing opportunity for her. The entire department is extremely proud.”