April 19, 2005

The Full Ride of a Lifetime

16th Annual Trachtenberg Scholarships Open Doors for DC’s Most Academically Talented Students

By Thomas Kohout

For most students in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) April 8 was a day like any other, filled with classes and assemblies, quizzes and assignments, and impromptu conferences about weekend plans. But for nine talented seniors from five District high schools, that routine was rocked when a parade of George Washington University administrators, led by mascot George, and closely followed by a host of cameramen and reporters from the local TV stations WRC, WJLA, and WUSA, The Washington Times, and CNN, marched through their schools to present them with coveted Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarships.

In an instant, Francesca Fisher, Christopher Stallworth, and Thao Anh Tran, Benjamin Banneker High School; Saba Fassil, Bell Multicultural High School; Charles Conway, Eastern High School; Marta Genovez and Mindi Schools, Roosevelt High School; Tiffany Edlin and Carmen Montopoli, School Without Walls, joined an elite group of 87 former DCPS students to receive the 16th annual all-expense scholarships.

The Trachtenberg Scholars program provides seniors with full, four-year scholarships covering tuition, room and board, books, and fees. This year the value of each award topped the $190,000 mark. GW’s total commitment since the inception of the program is approximately $11 million. The scholarships, along with other grants and work-study programs, make GW the largest single post-secondary contributor of aid to DC Public Schools for the last 12 years.

“What better way to give back to this community we call home than investing in its youth. We look forward to this day each year because it represents the intellectual and moral bond between a University and its city,” said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. “Our mission is to foster talent and academic excellence. It is a privilege and honor to recognize the best young minds in this city with these scholarships.”

GW selects students based on their class rank, GPA, SAT score, course of study, teacher recommendations, leadership qualities, community service and other extracurricular activities and achievements. The scholarships are renewed annually provided the recipients meet the University’s academic progress standards.

Currently holding these scholarships at GW are eight freshmen, three sophomores, seven juniors and five seniors, and following this year’s graduation ceremonies May 22, 55 Trachtenberg Scholars will have graduated.

One such graduate, Chris Harvell (SEAS ’98), epitomizes the impact the honor can have on a students life.

“When I came to campus I felt at home right away. I knew I belonged here,” said Harvell who studied electrical engineering.

Since graduating from GW, he has moved on to study business at Columbia University where Harvell will earn his MBA this May.

“The scholarship really gave me an opportunity to focus on just being a student,” he said regarding the importance of the award.

“Academically it was never a problem, but socially…” Harvell added that the opportunity to get involved in the University outside of the classroom enabled him to discover who he was as an individual.

“This is almost better than our own Commencement,” President Trachtenberg said following the presentations at Benjamin Banneker High School. “It’s so innocent and the blessing is so disproportionate. This enables them to devote all of their time to study and makes reaching the next level of education all the more achievable.”

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu