Journeys

A photo of Sam Rose scholars

A journey is never a solitary endeavor. We need guides and companions, places to stay, a warm cup of tea. And for those capable of great discoveries but without the resources to achieve them, we need benefactors.

“One of the major problems in this country is making the playing field level for all people, especially urban youths,” says Sam Rose ’58. “Everyone needs an education so we can give everyone the same opportunities.”

Since his first gift in 2000 to establish the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Scholarship Endowment Fund, 82 Dickinsonians have directly benefited from his vision for a more inclusive society; 15 years later, the scholarship continues to support a diverse and talented group of current and future leaders. They are peace-builders, teachers, global-health educators, scientists and social workers. Their explorations have taken them from Japan to Ghana and from the coast of Maine to inner-city Baltimore. In the pages ahead, learn more about their pathways—where they’ve been, where they are now and where they plan to go next.


Philip Hubert ’12 A photo of Philip Hubert

  • Plays five instruments: piano, clarinet, saxophone, French horn and guitar
  • Arrived at Dickinson unsure of major or career path
  • Exposed to research through National Science Foundation-funded experience for undergrads in computer science 
  • Participated in mobile-security summer program at University of Connecticut
  • “Dickinson gave me the opportunity to explore a lot of different things”
  • Majored in computer science 
  • Got involved with the Student Senate and the Keystones
  • Connected with the music department and became “a huge music nerd” 
  • Studied abroad in Australia 
  • Served as technology consultant to the Inspirational Medicine Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by fellow Dickinsonian Coleman Bass ’10 
  • Makes a mean spinach dip according to girlfriend Mary Ann Eggers ’13
  • Working as data analyst for global organization General Reinsurance
  • “Living the life I’ve always dreamed of, in terms of my career and being able to give back.”

 


Julie Younes ’06A photo of Julie Younes

  • High-school basketball player
  • Combination of the Rose Scholarship and strong financial-aid package, basketball program and academics sealed the deal
  • Double major in international studies and French
  • Studied abroad in Toulouse, living with a host family and playing basketball in France
  • Returned to strong senior-year team under coach Dina Henry and reached the NCAA tournament
  • Took Arabic thanks to Professor of History David Commins, who created a half-credit course for a handful of students
  • Graduated debt-free
  • First job at the Middle East Institute, a Washington, D.C., think-tank
  • Moved to Jerusalem with PeacePlayers International to work with kids in conflict areas on sports and leadership activities
  • Earned master’s in international development from The Fletcher School at Tufts University with a focus on peace-building
  • After stint at UNICEF, returned to PeacePlayers as director of monitoring and evaluation
  • Remains close to former teammates and returns to Dickinson almost every February for basketball alumni day
  • Advice to future Rose Scholars: “Dickinson is about taking advantage of opportunities off˜ered, so make sure you do!”

 

 


Selasi Setranah ’10a photo of Selasi Setranah

  • “I’ve known since high school I was going to study psychology and work in human resources”
  • After considering Syracuse, Dartmouth and Drew universities, decided that Dickinson was “just right”
  • Was active with community-service organization Alpha Phi Omega
  • Joyce Bylander, vice president of student life, and Norm Jones, former dean of diversity and assistant to the president, became his most influential mentors 
  • Tapped to honor society Scroll and Key and was its president during his senior year
  • “I was really fortunate to have been selected as a Rose Scholar, not just for the financial support but also for the network it provided me.”
  • Has done HR consulting for Goldman Sachs and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Co-launched an event-planning company with fellow alumni
  • Working as talent acquisition specialist at NewsCred, a leading provider of end-to-end content-marketing solutions
  • “I see my roleŒ—Œand recruitment overallŒ—Œas a constantly changing puzzle, where I match real people with opportunities for professional success. I’m fortunate to have the best of both worldsŒ—Œa fantastic academic experience at Dickinson and a fulfilling career.”

 

 


Karen J. Jung ’11a photo of Karen Jung

  • Emigrated from South Korea to U.S. in fifth grade
  • Growing up, spent a lot of time online and self-taught HTML, DSS and “website-building stuff”
  • Planned to attend medical school 
  • Developed interests that formed a nexus of education, health, science and technology, which led to a major in East Asian studies and a minor in biology
  • Volunteered in a hospice 
  • Studied abroad in Japan and earned a certificate in Japanese 
  • Proficient in four languages
  • Worked in the Offi‡ce of Global Education during junior year: “That year was special for me; I was one of the first ones to welcome international students, from meeting them at the airport to showing them their dorms” 
  • Went to Ghana in 2011 as a Global Impact Fellow with Unite for Sight
  • Earned a master’s in social work from Temple University 
  • Currently a research project manager at Rowan University, coordinating a pilot study on behavioral intervention for individuals with Type-2 diabetes.

 

 


Amber Nichols ’10a photo of amber nichols

  • Fell in love with Dickinson because of the close student-faculty relationships she observed as a high-school student sampling courses through the Philly Futures program 
  • Family’s recent financial challenges left her “with no idea” how she could afford Dickinson
  • Rose Scholarship, combined with other grants, made it possible
  • Majored in psychology 
  • Studied abroad in Mexico, an experience that “stays with you forever” 
  • Became a research specialist at the University of Pennsylvania after graduation
  • Worked on research on a potential vaccine for HIV and advanced through the university as a National Institute of Drug Abuse mentor, HIV Prevention Unit counselor and health resource specialist
  • Earned a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from La Salle University
  • Feelings on the impact of the Rose Scholarship: “I was so grateful that this person I didn’t even know™—™Mr.› Rose™—™believed in my dream. For him to want to invest in my future and my education is overwhelming, and it’s something I want to do for others as well.”

 

 


Hema Patel ’09a photo of Hema

  • Had no intention of going to Dickinson until a repeat campus visit, an amazing tour guide and a strong financial-aid package, including the Rose Scholarship
  • Planned a career in medicine 
  • Biochemistry & molecular biology major
  • Broadened horizons by taking classes in English, anthropology, economics 
  • Interned with an oral surgeon in Carlisle facilitated by mentor Charles Zwemer, associate professor of biology
  • Spent semester in England with Ben Edwards, associate professor of earth sciences, who made the experience incredible, and ended up taking Geology 101 senior year
  • Made lifelong friends though Kappa Alpha Theta
  • Was accepted to dental school, deferred, and never went
  • Stints in clinical research and pharmaceutical business development led to a job at Siemens Medical
  • After two quick promotions, now running an entire product line
  • Science background provided ability to speak about complex things at different levels, from physicist to radiologist to hospital administrator to trade-show attendee
  • still remembers lessons from Sam ŠRose on how you can go to school thinking one thing and do something completely di‰fferent and be successful.

 

 


Dwight Dunston ’10a photo of Dwight Dunston

  • Graduated from Friends Central School in Wynnewood, Pa.
  • Chose Dickinson because of its small class size, sense of community and opportunity to minor in poetry
  • Studied with Associate Professor of English and poet-in-residence Adrienne Su
  • Learned how to play the guitar from classmate and close friend Brendan Gallagher 
  • Spent a year at Dickinson’s study-abroad program at the University of East Anglia in Norwich
  • Had a great time as a member of Run With It, the college improv group
  • Senior year, made history as a member of the college’s first and only triple-crown-winning track and field team 
  • On his poetry: “It was here at Dickinson that I really found my voice”
  • Returned to Norwich after graduation to earn a master’s in poetry
  • Writes and performs hip-hop as Sterling Duns, including a gig in Tel Aviv, Israel, while visiting former roommate Benson Ansell ’10
  • “Through my music, I want to unify people across cultures, classes, religions, all forms of identity”
  • Currently assistant director of admissions and track and field coach at Friends Central School
  • On Sam Rose: “He’s someone who’s really about providing opportunities for people to thrive, and that’s something I want to do with my life.”

 

 


Alex Toole ’14a photo of Alex Toole

  • As environmental youth leader with the Cathance River Education Alliance, taught elementary-school children about conservation
  • Fell in love with politics during the 2008 presidential election
  • Met influential policy makers such as Michael Cherto’, Dennis Blair and P.J. Crowley while working as a student project supervisor for the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues 
  • Double-majored in political science and French and spent his junior year in Toulouse study-abroad program
  • Applied to Teach for America after conducting research for a paper on educational inequity in the United States
  • Interned twice for Sen. Susan Collins, once in Maine and again in Washington, D.C.
  • Teaching in Baltimore
  • “I’m not sure what I plan to do next, but whatever it is, I know my Dickinson education will play a major role.”

 

 


Treasure Walker ’04a photo of Treasure Walker

  • Decided she wanted to be an OB-GYN when she was 13 and her aunt was pregnant
  • “Fell in love” with Dickinson’s campus on her first visit
  • Rose scholarship and other financial aid allowed her to attend Dickinson instead of a large state university 
  • Majored in biochemistry & molecular biology with her sights set on medical school 
  • Studied abroad in Norwich, England, and interned at a local doctor’s offi„ce, both of which “probably would have been impossible at a large university” 
  • Broadened her horizons by studying and working on social justice issues impacted by women’s health 
  • Earned her M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine 
  • Served a two-year residency in Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa., in obstetrics and gynecology
  • Applied for and earned a two-year fellowship in family planning at New York University, which sent her to Nepal and Ghana to study and help improve reproductive health abroad
  • Starting a new position as associate fellowship director of family planning and assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and plans to continue her e’fforts in family planning education, research and clinical work domestically and globally
  • Believes that what she learned at Dickinson “spurred” her interest in global health and is “amazed and thankful that there are people out there like Mr. Rose who recognize that students who lack financial resources still have something to contribute to the world.”

Sam Rose ’58: Setting benchmarks from the get-go

And as the 21st century rolled into focus, Rose knew that two of the new millennium’s biggest challenges would be in education and the environment. He began his philanthropy at Dickinson with the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Scholarship Endowment Fund—first with a $200,000 commitment and over the years to a total of nearly $10 million—which has given economically disadvantaged students more than just a leg up, it’s changed the playing field altogether.

In 2012, he established the Sam Rose ’58 and Julie Walters Prize at Dickinson College for Global Environmental Activism, which supports an annual residency for environmental experts and activists—from the inaugural recipient Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, to this year’s Mark Ruff˜alo, actor and organizer of Water Defense. “As I look around the world,” Rose says. “I think education is a good place to put your money.”

Read more from the summer 2015 issue of Dickinson Magazine.

Learn more

 

 

Published July 28, 2015