Celine Brooks ’16, of Big Stone Gap,is one of only four students nationwide to receive theGEICO/Psi Chi Undergraduate Scholarship, which provides students with financial assistance toward education-related expenses such as tuition, books, and fees.
Major funding was given by insurance company GEICO and Psi Chi members who gave to the organization’s Steps to the Future fund. Students were selected based on financial need, merit, and academic performance.
“There were many deserving students,” said Evan Zucker, chairman of Psi Chi’s scholarship review committee. “Pairing the pool from 152 to four was not a particularly easy task.”
Chandra Mason,assistant professor of psychology, said Psi Chi is underscoring what faculty at Ģýalready know about Brooks, who will graduate in May.
“By every measure,Celineis an exceptional student; not only does she consistently outperform her classmates in even the most challenging courses in the psychology major, but she does so with an endearing and charmingly upbeat attitude, and an intrinsic motivation and passion to learn that is seemingly boundless,” Mason said.
While at Ģý, Brooks has had several opportunities to research and present at conferences.
“Doing researchhas provided me with a knowledge of a variety of techniques and laboratory skills that I will be able to build upon in graduate school, and that will help prepare me for a career in research,” Brooks said.
After graduation, Brooks plans to earn a doctorate degree in biopsychology and eventually hopes to perform research at auniversity or for the government.