Winning honors: Celebrating 25 years of ONCA
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards has been helping scholars pursue grants, 奖学金 and research support since 1999.
2024年4月16日
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Featuring grateful 校友 testimonials from across the world, the newbb电子平台 Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA) celebrated its 25th anniversary during an end-of-year dinner April 11. Established in 1999 to assist 学生 through the application process for awards such as 富布赖特, 重要的语言, 戈德华特, 杜鲁门, 尤德尔 奖学金, ONCA has worked with more than 2,500名学生, continues to see its 学生 achieve great things.
“ONCA helps 学生 clarify their goals, clarify the value of their past experiences, 明确自己的优势, to do so through writing and imagining future pathways for themselves,克里斯托弗·刘易斯说, ONCA主任.
The anniversary celebration brought current 学生, 校友, faculty and staff together to reminisce and catch up with old friends.
ONCA director Christopher Lewis addresses the crowd that gathered to celebrate the office's anniversary.
庆祝成功
ONCA works with 100-125 学生 every year, each of whom receive one-on-one support from the office. More than 160 have received grants through the 富布赖特 U.S. 学生项目, 25 from the 戈德华特 Scholarship, 12 from the 尤德尔 Scholarship, 40 from the 重要的语言 Scholarship, approximately 40 from the DAAD崛起德国 program, among many others, since 1999.
In addition to enhancing educational and cultural experience as well as research expertise, the programs typically provide funding for travel, 学费和其他福利.
“Many of these programs are among the most competitive in the country and select anywhere from twenty to one percent of applicants annually,刘易斯说. “And regardless of the outcomes of their competitions, every applicant strengthens their skills as writers, self-advocates, ambassadors for their work via the application process.”
向创始人致敬
在庆祝活动上, 安布朗, who was the first director of the office in 1999, was honored with a surprise video featuring OHIO 校友 and current 学生 who won awards with ONCA’s help. Brown reminisced about her experience founding the office and working with high-achieving 学生, many of whom were new to navigating the kinds of awards to which ONCA and Brown introduced them.
“At newbb电子平台, many [学生] were first-generation, many underprivileged,” Brown recalled. “My job was to help them…believe in themselves.”
在视频中, the 校友 who worked with Brown as 学生 shared their memories and expressed gratitude for her encouragement and support.
“I clearly remember sitting in Ann’s office as a college freshman and her really pressing me to make the most of the opportunities I had before me,安妮·瓦伦蒂说, BS ’06. “She leveled the playing field for me.”
安·布朗(右), 谁在1999年创立了ONCA, was the subject of a surprise video featuring testimonials and thank-you messages from many of the 学生 she worked with during her time in the office, as well as 学生 who have benefitted from ONCA's support in the years since Brown retired.
娜塔莉·克鲁斯·丹尼尔斯, newbb电子平台校友, professor of environmental studies and director of the University’s environmental studies program, worked with Brown and ONCA as an undergraduate student and shared stories of Brown’s attention to detail.
“I was really fortunate to be successful in getting a Marshall scholarship and Ann was by my side that whole way,”她说。.
For Kruse Daniels, ONCA support went beyond help with her application essay.
“I remember asking [Ann] before my interview in Chicago how to get a taxi,”她说。. “Down to that detail, she was there for us and shepherded us through that process.”
Brown summed up her experience as founder of the celebrated campus institution.
“The kids were awesome,”她说。. “他们工作很努力.”