Hawks Awarded National Scholarships and Fellowships

Ten Saint Joseph’s University students have received prestigious scholarships and fellowships for the upcoming school year. Across disciplines and continents, the students will use the funding to advance their studies and bring new knowledge back to campus. 

“"The Office of Fellowships is incredibly proud of these students, whose hard work, curiosity, and determination have led them to these great opportunities,” says Enrique Téllez-Espiga, PhD, director of fellowships. “Whether they are researching solutions to health challenges or engaging in cross-cultural dialogue abroad, they represent what it means to be a Saint Joseph’s student: intellectually driven, globally minded and committed to making a difference."

Here’s a closer look at two students and their scholarships:

Studying Divided Societies Across the Atlantic

With a Fulbright Summer Institute scholarship, Jake Richfield, BS ’27, is off to study divided societies and reconciliation at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 

The three-week program runs through the first week of July and puts Richfield at the center of the society that experienced the Troubles, a three-decade period of violent conflict surrounding Irish independence. 

As a political science major, Richfield has studied international conflict, partition and reconciliation, and is excited for the opportunity to learn through immersion. 

“There will be a lot of panels with people who were on both sides of the conflict,” he says. “This only happened 30 years ago, and seeing how they’re able to communicate will be a helpful skill to bring back into the classroom to foster dialogue when we talk about important issues.” 

A first-generation college student, this is Richfield’s first opportunity to study abroad — and his first time travelling out of the country. 

“It’s nice to see how proud my parents are of me, not just being in college, but getting opportunities like this,” he says. “I’m really excited to get the chance to see another country, get out of my comfort zone, learn other perspectives and embrace that culture.” 

Richfield encourages all interested students to try their hand at applying for opportunities like this one — even if you don’t receive the scholarship, he says, you’ll learn something about yourself. 

“This wasn’t the first program I applied to,” he explains. “I’ve been rejected and it’s all part of the process, but you can learn so much even just completing the application. Work with your people on campus, with your mentors, with the Office of Fellowships, and you’ll be even better off next time.” 

Combating Disease-Causing Bacteria

Abby Robinson, BS ’27, fell in love with research in the microbiology lab of Professor Shantanu Bhatt, PhD. 

“My favorite part of science has always been the lab component,” she explains. “It gives me an outlet for my questions and curiosities and allows me to engage in discovery-based learning. In Dr. Bhatt’s lab, I get to do that every single day.” 

The lab’s work focuses on bacterial pathogens and the role of molecules like small RNA that modulate their virulence. 

“Our data becomes one small step toward the eventual goal of developing drugs to combat these bacterial pathogens,” she says. “I know that my work is going to help people, which I find extremely rewarding — it’s challenging but rewarding work.” 

Her prowess has earned her a Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious award for students interested in STEM research careers. 

“Not only will this support my academic pursuits financially, but it will also provide me with a network of other scholars that I can connect with in my field,” she says. 

As a recipient of the McNulty Scholarship, a science and mathematics leadership scholarship at Saint Joseph’s, Robinson understands the value of this network of like-minded researchers. 

“The McNulty community has been really incredible for me because I was able to come into this community of women, see what the upperclassmen have done, and model my own journey off of theirs,” she explains. “I hope this will be the same type of connection.” 

Because she received the Goldwater Scholarship as a rising junior, Robinson will have two years of funding. 

“I’m extremely honored and excited to have received this scholarship,” she says. “It has given me a lot of confidence in my writing and in my work, it helped me reflect on my academic journey so far, and it has helped me prepare for the process of eventually applying to graduate school.” 

2024-2025 Scholarship & Fellowship Awards 

Faith Adedokun, BS ’27, Psychology, NSF REU

Olivia Beddow, BS ’26, Chemistry, Goldwater Scholarship

Brielle Cruz, BS ’25, Environmental Science, North American Language and Culture Assistants Program, Spain

Dorothy Danbury, BA ’27, English, Summer Research Opportunity Program at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Grace Donohue, BS ’25, Political Science and Spanish, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Los Angeles, California

Andrew Fadgen, BS ’26, Chemistry, Goldwater Scholarship

Allie Miller, BA ’24, English, Writing and Journalism, and Spanish, North American Language and Culture Assistants Program, Spain

Anjana Mosakowski, BS ’27, International Relations, Critical Language Scholarship Spark (Arabic)

Jake Richfield, BS ’27, Political Science, Fulbright Summer Institute at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Abby Robinson, BS ’27, Biology, Goldwater Scholarship

Interested in applying for a fellowship program? Email Téllez-Espiga at etelleze@sju.edu or learn more on the Office of Fellowships website.