MSU social science alumnae honored with international scholarship nominations

November 20, 2019 - Elizabeth Schondelmayer

The College of Social Science is proud to celebrate two alumnae nominated for prestigious international scholarships. 2019 graduate Anna Esenther has been nominated for the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarship, while 2017 graduate Christina Pastoria has been nominated for both the Marshall and Mitchell Scholarship.

Esenther, an Honors College graduate, earned her degrees in economics, psychology and history in the College of Social Science, a degree in education in the College of Education and a degree in statistics in the College of Natural Science.

Esenther is excited to continue her education, and hopes to study economics or computational cognitive neuroscience in England. “I feel an enormous amount of gratitude for the opportunity to interview for these awards and for all of the many people who helped get me to this point,” she notes.

Christina Pastoria graduated with a degree in both economics and international relations and a minor in environmental studies and sustainability. She is currently working as an economic analyst Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and hopes to go for her Master’s in Fall 2020.

“The economics department is thrilled to hear that two of our alumni are finalists for multiple prestigious scholarship awards,” noted Dr. Stacy Dickert-Conlin, professor of Economics. 

“Anna Esenther and Christina Pastoria were both huge contributors to our MSU Economics department communities and are continuing to contribute, even post-graduation. This national recognition is extremely well-deserved!”

Each of the three prestigious scholarships will provide support for the alumnae to study at universities across the United Kingdom. Specifically, the Marshall allows for any university in the U.K., Mitchell covers a year at any university in Ireland or Northern Ireland, and the Rhodes scholarship provides an opportunity to study at Oxford University specifically.

The College of Social Science is extremely proud of Esenther and Pastoria and wishing them the best as they anticipate the results of their nominations. Read more about other Michigan State University students nominated for similar awards here.

November 24 Update: Esenther has been officially named a Rhodes Scholar! Read more about her accomplishment here.