Two 2016 Marist graduates will study abroad on Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grants.
Jaquan Jacob Arzu ’16 has been awarded the grant to Italy to pursue an MPA at SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan. A native of the Bronx, NY, Arzu was enrolled at Marist through the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), majoring in political science with concentrations in both public affairs and international studies. He was also active in the Marist College Student Government Association, the Zeta Psi Fraternity, and the Black Student Union. Arzu has been involved in community grassroots movements from an early age, working with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and the national organization Dignity in Schools when he was in high school. He interned with Dutchess County Legislator Francena Amparo in 2013 and served as a congressional Hispanic Caucus intern in the office of Rep. José Serrano in the summer preceding his senior year. He hopes to pursue doctoral studies in regional and urban planning that will equip him to address contemporary issues in U.S. cities such as deferred maintenance and affordable housing. Croix James Laconsay ’16 has received a grant to pursue research on chemical bonds with Dr. Sason Shaik at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. Born in San Francisco and raised in Hawaii, Laconsay majored in both chemistry and philosophy, with a minor in mathematics. He was also a recipient of the Dr. J. Richard LaPietra Sponsored Student Research Fund to Enhance Excellence in Chemistry Studies, a member of the Deans’ Circle, and participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates at Texas A&M University in the summer of 2015. Outside of the lab, Laconsay was active in Marist’s Campus Ministry as a member of its Advisory Board, served as vice president of membership for Marist’s Toastmasters International, and participated in Marist Ambassadors for two years. His long-range goal is to become a professor of chemistry, focusing on computational organic chemistry, while sustaining his investigations into the philosophy of science.
The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright competition is administered at Marist through Pat Taylor, graduate school and fellowship advisor in the Center for Career Services.
Marist has been named one of the top schools for producing Fulbright scholars. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recently identified Marist as one of the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2015–2016 Fulbright U.S. students. Four Marist alumni — Kerianne Baylor ’14, Kelsey Boeshore ’15, Cara Mooney ’15, and Genesis Abreu ’15 — won Fulbright awards for 2015–2016, putting Marist on par with only 24 other master’s institutions nationally. Marist was also named a top producer for 2014–2015.