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August 10, 2007

Grinnell Graduate earns full scholarship to Harvard Medical School

Grinnell, IA - Andriana Nikolova, a 2007 Grinnell College honors graduate in biological chemistry and mathematics, has been awarded a prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship to attend Harvard Medical School. The scholarship, which is renewable for up to six years, will fully fund her studies for the M.D. degree there. She is one of 34 scholars selected out of 977 applicants.

Nikolova is from Yambol, Bulgaria. "I firmly believe that as physicians, it is our duty to raise awareness as well as to establish an arena for discussion and international collaboration in battling health care disparities around the world," said Nikolova. "Growing up in Bulgaria, which has one of the highest incidences of coronary disease, I remember feeling helpless when I saw many people close to me, including my father, unable to afford the surgery or medication they needed because it would consume their annual salary. I had promised myself to acquire the skills and knowledge to lay the blueprint of a healthy heart."

While at Grinnell College, Nikolova mentored students in inorganic and organic chemistry, and tutored in math and physics. She earned a travel fellowship to intern in medicine with a Grinnell graduate at Northwestern University, and conducted highly regarded research for three summers in the molecular and cellular biology department at Harvard University. She also pursued her other interests in folk dancing and music while at Grinnell.

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation was established in 2000 through the will of Jack Kent Cooke, the Canadian-American media entrepreneur, "to help young people of exceptional promise reach their full potential through education." In addition to graduate and professional school scholarships, the Foundation awards scholarships to attend undergraduate institutions, with a particular interest in community college graduates who transfer to four-year institutions. The Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars Program supports high-achieving youth with financial need throughout high school with individualized educational opportunities that will enable them to develop their talents and abilities.

Nikolova is the second Grinnell graduate to win this scholarship. Eric Otoo,'01, from Ghana, was named a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar in 2005. He earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and is now employed at Goldman-Sachs.

Grinnell College, founded in 1846, is a private, residential liberal arts college with some 1500 students, located in Grinnell, Iowa. The College awards the Bachelor of Arts in 25 areas of study. Its commitment to intellectual excellence is demonstrated by the consistently high number of Grinnell graduates who go on to earn graduate degrees, and its tradition of social service is shown by the high proportion of Grinnellians who have joined the Peace Corps ever since that program was founded.

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