AUSTIN, Texas—Sarah Tierney, a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded one of this year’s prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarships to study in Great Britain. She is the first student from the university to be awarded this scholarship.
Tierney, from Richardson, Texas, is majoring in Plan II Honors, government and computer science. At Cambridge, she will pursue a master of philosophy degree in development studies, an interdisciplinary program covering economics, political science, anthropology and institution building.
In 2003, she served as a U.S. delegate at the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva, organized by the United Nations and the International Telecommunications Union. She explored issues such as inequality and access to technology, Internet governance and human rights related to communications. She was the first editor of the university’s Undergraduate Research Journal. Her other activities include membership in the Orange Jackets, Friar’s Society, Texas Union Board of Directors and Phi Beta Kappa.
The Gates Cambridge Trust was established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of a person’s intellectual ability, leadership capacity and desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world by providing service to their communities and applying their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others. The scholarships cover the full cost of study at Cambridge, including, tuition, maintenance allowance, study-related activities and travel.
For more information contact: Michelle Bryant, College of Liberal Arts, 512-232-4730.
