The Koch Fellowship honors "consistent excellence in expository writing." The Hester Fellowship "provides an opporrtunity for a rising senior to undertake an independent project or travel program outside the Washington metropolitan area." Established in 1995, the Raiser Environmental Fellowship sponsored by NCS alumna Skye Raiser ‘85 funds a summer trip to a South or Central American country "to participate in environmental research, conservation studies, and cultural and eco-tourism."
The application requirements for the fellowships are rigorous. In order to be considered for the Koch Fellowship, Norvell and Grenier first had to write an essay to be read by the English department based on one of three prompts, and then write a letter to Mrs. Constance Koch, the sponsor of the fellowship, about what each hoped to gain from the experience. Finally, each girl sat for an interview with Mrs. Koch. Head of the English Department Tony Speranza, Head of School Kathleen Jamieson, and Assistant Head and Director of the Upper School Elinor Scully.
Norvell said, "Each Koch Fellow travels to Oxford University to attend the Oxford Tradition, a program in which students choose two subjects, a major and a minor, to study for a month in the summer." She is most excited to experience "the British history and English cathedral choirs."
Grenier is eager to attend classes at Oxford. She intends to take "Film Studies and Literature" and "Psychology." Like Norvell, she said that she is "really excited to spend time in such a beautiful place with so much history."
Mitchell said that applying for the Hester Fellowship involves "great determination and a lot of research." She wrote a proposal explaining why she wanted to go to India and detailing an itinerary for the trip.
When asked what she plans to discover on her journey to India, she said, "I have always been concerned with the trend of western development: while the benefits to it are enormous, there is also a more detrimental side that comes with transplanting the ideas of any culture in another cultural context. I feel that...more investigation should be made into how this affects the people in developing countries."
Mitchell also hopes to gain a greater cultural understanding of India. She is grateful to the Hester's for the opportunity of a lifetime. "I haven't been this excited in my life. Whatever happens, whoever I meet, it will change who I am and how I see the world, and I can't wait."
This article is based on the reporting of Natalie Chaney '11, whose article appeared in the March 3, 2010 Discus, the NCS student newspaper.