Cynthia Salim One of Three to Win Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to Pursue Master's Degree

Cynthia Salim, political science major, received in 2008 the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to pursue her Master's Degree in either the United Kingdom or Ireland.  Of the top five Universities in which Salim asked to be placed, her top choice is King's College of London to pursue a Master's in Human Values and Contemporary Global Ethics.

This is the third year in a row that a LMU political science student has won the competitive Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship.

The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship is a full scholarship awarded to only three students in the Rotary District 5280, a district encompassing most of Southern California.  The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. While abroad, scholars serve as goodwill ambassadors to the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country.

Salim has been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Westchester, CA.  Over the past 15 years, 23 LMU students have won the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship under the sponsorship of Dr. Fred Kiesner, LMU Chair of Entrepreneurship and a member of Westchester Rotary.  Every year, three students are selected to receive the scholarship, and most applicants come from UCLA, USC, and LMU.   Dr. Fred Kiesner was Salim's sponsor throughout the application process, and Dr. Jospeh Callinan, former Chair of LMU's College of Science and Engineering and current Westchester Rotarian, will be Salim's sponsor for the next three years.  Salim will be representing Westchester Rotary and District 5280 as an Ambassador of goodwill the year prior to and after her year of study abroad, 2009-2010.

The last two Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship winners were political science majors Aram Nadjarian and Catie Berezney. 

In addition to her success with the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, Salim also received the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University.  The Fellowship includes a summer institute, assistance with graduate school funding, and a full scholarship and stipend totaling over $90,000 should she choose to pursue her post-graduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University.  The PPIA Fellowship is awarded to 150 rising seniors across the nation every year.  Political science majors Cornelius Burke and Damien McDuffie at LMU were past recipients of the PPIA Fellowship. 

Congratulations, Cynthia!