U. students, grad win coveted Thouron

To be intelligent, but not bookish. To be social, but only in a refined, ambassadorial sense.

It is this fine line that students seeking the prestigious Thouron Fellowship must walk, according to Clare Cowen, associate director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

The Thouron fund "wants to make sure that the winners won't just go and hole themselves up in a library," Cowen said. "They need to go out and take advantage of the opportunities and be really great ambassadors."

And three students proved they have just what it takes to be Thouron fellows, capturing the coveted Thouron Award, which covers tuition fees plus a living allowance for Penn students pursuing a degree program at a British educational institution. The fellowship, which is part of an exchange program with British students, was established in 1960.

What makes this award different from others of its type is that it is strictly open to Penn students and graduates.

Engineering and Wharton senior Pranav Gupta, College senior Sherry Orbach, and 2001 College graduate Robert Pringle have all received Thouron awards for the upcoming school year.

Pringle, who will be pursuing a Master of Philosophy degree in economic and social history at Oxford University, said he is excited that his degree program will keep him in England for enough time to fully experience the United Kingdom.

"One of the cool things of being over there for two years is that there is some time to explore," Pringle said. "I've never actually studied abroad for any real time.... I played tennis and was never allowed to leave during the school year, so I am really excited to finally be able to do some extended study in another country."

Orbach said she, too, is excited for the travel stipend.

"I plan to do a lot of traveling through the United Kingdom and just have a really good time immersing myself in the culture of England," Orbach said. "At my university, I plan to get involved with extracurriculars, such as ballroom dancing."

Orbach is currently deciding between the University of Cambridge and the University of Reading.

Such hunger for exploration and study is exactly what Cowen said she expects from these scholars.

"They are not just going there and concentrating on getting a great degree, but they are going there to mix with the other students," Cowen said. "The three winners this year are all people who right away you would agree that they are great ambassadors."

But despite a winning combination of both academic and ambassadorial prowess, Cowen said that winning the award was no simple quest.

"There is a 12-hour interview day that starts at 8 in the morning and ends at 8 at night," Cowen said. "It is 12 hours because the committee who makes the decision wants to make sure that they're really getting to know the interviewee in different settings.... It's really hard to put on an act for 12 hours."

But while putting on an act might have proved difficult, Orbach said the interview was no daunting task.

"I actually enjoyed most of the interview," Orbach said. "There were just so many interesting people there, and there was a lot of down time in which we got to hang out with each other."

Pringle said that he also did not mind the interview, as previous scholarship applications had given him much-needed oratory practice.

"Applying for the Rhodes [Scholarship] was a big help in terms of learning how to cope with what might be a stressful situation of people asking lots of questions and trying to get a handle on you," Pringle said. "You hear a 12-hour interview and it doesn't sound appealing, but it wasn't a grueling 12 hours of being peppered with questions by people who want to find your weaknesses."

Cowen said she believes Pringle will focus on his strengths once he arrives in England.

"Robert is a biologist and a historian who has found the perfect program at Oxford -- environmental history," Cowen said. "He is eager to begin blazing a new trail."

Cowen also had high praise for the other Thouron fellows.

"Pranav is a true 'social entrepreneur' and wishes to use his knowledge of technology and business for the public good," Cowen said. "He has already shown this in his career at Penn, and there is no doubt that he will continue to do so."

Cowen added that Orbach "has a winning combination of intelligence, compassion and humor."

But despite Cowen's confidence in her, Orbach said that she was surprised when she received the good news via e-mail early this February.

"I actually had to read the e-mail three times before I believed it," Orbach said. "It was a mixture of disbelief and feeling very blessed."

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