Rosado named Marshall Scholar

Mariza Rosado, a fourth-year student in the College, has been awarded a Marshall Scholarship to study classics at Oxford University in England. Rosado is one of 37 recipients from around the United States.

"I'm very happy because I know this is a great opportunity," Rosado said. "Oxford is an excellent place to study classics. I hope to obtain a strong foundation in Greek and Latin, as I hope to become a classicist someday. I'm really ready to apply myself."

Rosado came to Chicago to study history, but after being exposed to classics in the Common Core, she decided to shift her focus.

"The Common Core is extremely valuable because it makes you a very flexible person academically. It exposes you to different subjects. Once I got started, I really liked it. It's the same for classics. It's a very well-rounded discipline. You get to study history, philosophy and languages. I'm lucky because I have chosen something that really excites me."

Rosado spent her third year in college at the University of Bristol in England, as part of a junior-year-abroad program. "The year went quickly," she said. "I knew that I would like to go back."

Before returning to the United States, she spent the summer in Israel as part of a team excavating a Roman villa in the Galilee. "It was exciting," she said. "The world of classics that I had learned through books took on a physical reality."

Rosado is a recipient of the Mellon Minority Fellowship, and she has participated in the Summer Research Opportunities Program at the University, studying under Arthur Adkins, the Edward Olson Professor in Classical Languages & Literatures. Rosado also has volunteered for the Network for Youth Services, conducting research on the Latino community in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.

One of the first members of her family to attend college, Rosado always had her mind set on academic achievement. "As I was growing up, I was determined to go into academics," she said. "I want to become a professor because I value education. I have come to understand that education is a means of freedom. When I think about everything I've done, I am content, because I have placed myself in a position to encourage other disadvantaged people to seek an education."

Rosado's Marshall Scholarship will begin next fall. She is currently deciding whether she will pursue a second bachelor's degree or a master of philosophy degree in classics.

The Marshall Scholarship was established in 1953 as a gesture of thanks to the people of the United States for aid received under the Marshall Plan after World War II. The scholarships, which are financed by the British government, provide an opportunity for American students who have demonstrated academic excellence to study for two or three years at a British university. Approximately 800 students from around the United States apply each year.