Sociology Scholarships and Awards

Awards Available

Visit the Center for Careers, Life, and Service for a comprehensive list of national and Grinnell scholarships and awards available.

Past Sociology Major Recipients

Sociology Department Scholarships and Awards

In 2002, the Department of Sociology created two new awards to recognize the work of sociology majors. The Judith Louise McKim Sociology Scholarship is an endowed scholarship that is awarded yearly to a top junior sociology major. The scholarship may be awarded to one person or split between two candidates.

The criteria for the award include:

  • the student has demonstrated excellence in course work at the College generally and in sociology in particular;
  • the student may have financial need;
  • the student has demonstrated a commitment to the sociological perspective and to social justice; and
  • the student has demonstrated leadership abilities either within the department or on campus.

The winners of this scholarship since its inception are:

  • 2003–04 — Allison Barrett
  • 2004–05 — Keli Campbell and Nova McGiffert
  • 2005–06 — Jenny Dale and Liliana Renteria
  • 2006–07 — Rachel Allison and Sollie Flora
  • 2007–08 — Christopher Neubert and Madison Van Oort
  • 2008–09 — Latona Giwa and Mark Root-Wiley
  • 2009–10 — Ami Freeburg, Alyssa Penner, and Margie Scribner
  • 2010–11 — Ragnar Thorisson, Allison Brinkhorst, Liting Cong
  • 2011–12 — Miriam Barcus and Paige Hill
  • 2012–13 — Amber Gruner and Christian Snow
  • 2013–14 — Vilma Castaneda and Aniela Wendt
  • 2014–15 — Jade Denson
  • 2015–16 — Melissa Melloy
  • 2016–17 — Maggie Bell and Jack Thornton

Sociology Book Award

The Sociology Book Award also was created in 2002 using the designated funds given to the department by alumni and friends. This award is given annually to recognize high academic merit within the sociology major, as awarded annually to the sociology junior who has the highest G.P.A. The $100 gift certificate from the College Bookstore is used to help defray the costs of books. The winners of this award include:

  • 2003–04 — Katherine (Keli) Campbell
  • 2004–05 — Rosanne (Rose) Wilson
  • 2005–06 — Solana (Sollie) Flora
  • 2006–07 — Katrina Brooks
  • 2007–08 — Mark Root-Wiley
  • 2008–09 — Alyssa Penner
  • 2009–10 — Kendall Hiedeman
  • 2010–11 — Sophie Farjado
  • 2011–12 — Shannon Kelly
  • 2012–13 — Naomi Ramsey
  • 2013–14 — Jade Denson
  • 2014–15 — Carley Kleinhans
  • 2015–16 — Maggie Bell
  • 2016–17 — Rachel Buckner and Courtney Petersen

General Awards and Scholarships

  • 2009 — Nichole Baker ’10, Weiting Paper Award at the Iowa Sociological Association Conference
  • 2009 — Stephanie Cheung ’11 and Liting Cong ’11, Joseph F. Wall Scholarship
  • 2009 — Juan Garcia ’11, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
  • 2009 — Fielding Jezreel ’09 and Ruth Manski ’09, Fulbright Scholarship
  • 2010 — Michael McHugh ’12, Andrew W. Loewi ’71 Summer Internship Grant
  • 2010 — Lizeth Guiterrez ’12, Melissa Vasquez ’12, and Sophie Fajardo ’12, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
  • 2010 — Rachel Whitfield ’10, Fulbright Scholarship
  • 2011 — Stephanie Cheung ’11, Goldwater Scholarship
  • 2011 — Herbie Lynn ’11 and Juan Garcia ’11, Fulbright Scholarship
  • 2011 — Lizeth Guiterrez ’12, Joseph F. Wall Scholarship
  • 2011 — Miriam Barcus ’12, Manford Kuhn Award (for outstanding paper by a junior-senior) at the Iowa Sociological Association Conference

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