Penn State Senior Among First Mitchell Scholars

January 14, 2000
University Park, Pa. -- Desha M. Girod, a senior political science major and Undergraduate Student Government president at Penn State, is one of 12 students nationwide to receive a new scholarship administered by the US-Ireland Alliance in honor of former Senator George T. Mitchell.

Mitchell Scholars are eligible to attend institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland for one academic year of post-graduate study beginning in the fall of 2000. Tuition, room, travel assistance, and an $11,000 stipend are provided by the scholarship.

Girod will pursue a masters of philosophy in peace studies at Trinity College in Dublin.

Last year, she was awarded one of 80 nationally competitive Truman Scholarships. The $30,000 grant is given to outstanding juniors who have demonstrated campus and community leadership and who plan to pursue a career in public service.

After moving to Pennsylvania from Puerto Rico and learning English only 10 years ago, Girod began her studies at Penn State in 1996. On the Dean’s List each semester since, she also has received the Liberal Arts Academic Excellence Award each year and is a Bunton-Waller Fellow.

In addition to her current position as USG president, Girod has served as an associate justice of the Undergraduate Student Government Supreme Court and as a University Faculty Senate student senator for the College of the Liberal Arts.

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Contact: Tysen Kendig, department of public information, (814) 865-7517, or .