Scripps Institute Students Set New Record for Fellowship Awards in San Diego
In the heart of California, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) continues to nurture promising scholars in the field of oceanography. The latest achievement spotlights four graduate students who have been awarded the highly competitive San Diego Fellowship.
**The San Diego Fellowship: A Beacon for Diversity**
The San Diego Fellowship is a UCSD-funded program designed to increase campus diversity, supporting academically qualified students who have overcome social, economic, or educational hardships, as well as students who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity or increasing educational access for underrepresented students.
**Meet the Recipients**
Four graduate students, Kenisha Shipley, Garfield Kwan, Sara Rivera, and Osinachi Ajoku, have been awarded the San Diego Fellowship. Each of these students brings a unique background and research focus to the table.
- Kenisha Shipley, a geosciences student, conducts research under the guidance of Scripps Professor and Geochemist Dave Hilton. - Garfield Kwan, a marine biology doctoral candidate, researches ocean acidification's impact on fish under the mentorship of Scripps Marine Biologist and Assistant Professor Martín Tresguerres. - Sara Rivera, a graduate student in oceanography, focuses her research on how specific marine bacteria interact with seawater and how that relates to climate change. - Osinachi Ajoku, another graduate student at Scripps Oceanography, is studying climate science and the effect of aerosols on the environment under the guidance of Scripps Assistant Professor Amato Evan.
**From Humble Beginnings to Academic Excellence**
The journey of these students is nothing short of inspiring. Ajoku, for instance, began his academic journey with a fascination for the sky, clouds, rain, and atmospheric science, which led him to pursue a degree in geology. Rivera, despite facing adversity during her undergraduate studies when she was sexually assaulted on campus, found the courage to finish school and speak out about her experience.
Kwan, apart from his academic pursuits, is also involved in outreach projects, such as the City Heights Outreach Ministry Program (CHOMP), a tutoring program he founded through the Chinese Evangelical Church of San Diego, focusing on tutoring Karen refugees from Myanmar.
**The Power of Fellowships**
Fellowships like the San Diego Fellowship play a crucial role in supporting these students, providing them with financial aid, mentorship, and a platform to excel in their respective fields. For Ajoku, the fellowship marked a significant step forward in his research on atmospheric rivers over the summer for his Competitive Edge project.
The San Diego Fellowship is just one of the many programs at SIO that aim to foster academic growth, research skills, and a commitment to diversity. The fellowship recipients' journeys serve as a testament to the transformative power of these programs and the bright future of oceanography at UCSD's Scripps Oceanography.
- The research conducted by Garfield Kwan, a marine biology doctoral candidate at SIO, focuses on ocean acidification's impact on fish, an area of study that is significant in the context of climate science.
- Sara Rivera, a graduate student in oceanography at SIO, is utilizing her research to understand how specific marine bacteria interact with seawater, a critical aspect of oceanographic research that contributes to our understanding of climate change.
- Pursuing personal growth and education-and-self-development, Osinachi Ajoku, a graduate student at Scripps Oceanography, is using the financial aid and mentorship provided by the San Diego Fellowship to study climate science and the effect of aerosols on the environment, which is knowledge essential for future research in oceanography and climate science.
