University of South Carolina senior Grace Cooney has been named a recipient of the Rotary Global Grant to pursue a Master of Science in Migration, Culture, and Global Health from Queen Mary University of London in 2020-2021. Cooney is sponsored by the Columbia Capital Rotary Club in District 7770.
The Rotary is the world's largest privately funded international scholarship program whose scholars further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas by encouraging person-to-person diplomacy. Rotary Global Grants are valued at over $30,000, provide one year of graduate study abroad and encourage recipients to engage in community service work.
Cooney is a Stamps Scholar and senior in the South Carolina Honors College, where she majors in Public Health and minors in French. After graduation in May 2020, she will attend Queen Mary University of London and receive a Master of Science in Migration, Culture, and Global Health. Cooney aims to use her experiences abroad and passion for combating inequity to create tangible change through hands-on care in underserved populations. Cooney has volunteered at the Carolina Survivor Clinic, the only refugee clinic in the state of South Carolina, where she assists with childcare and tutoring for the local refugee population. She has also volunteered at a clinic in Meknes, Morocco while taking classes on Islamic tradition and migration studies. During her time at Queen Mary University of London, Cooney will partner with a clinic that specializes in treatment of refugees. Cooney plans to pursue a career in public health focusing on vulnerable populations and addressing the intersection of health, culture and environmental factors.
Cooney brings the university’s total of Rotary Scholars to 89 since the 1994 establishment of National Fellowships and Scholar Programs (NFSP), which assists students as they prepare applications for national fellowship competitions. Campus Rotary advisors for students interested in the Rotary Global Grant are Rotarians Louis Dessau, Jim Morris, Fred Myhrer, Chris Myers, and John Pederson, and Patrick Hickey. Cooney was also supported by Dr. April Winningham in the Arnold School of Public Health and Mr. Loiodice in the University of South Carolina biology department. To learn more about such competitions and view a complete list of the University’s Rotary Scholars, visit www.sc.edu/nfsp.