Six Penn seniors and three recent graduates have each received a 2024 Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Each Thouron Scholar receives tuition for up to two years, as well as travel and living stipends.

Penn’s 2024 Thouron Scholars are seniors Maya Brawer-Cohen, Lynn Larabi, Crystal Marshall, Ellie McKeown, George Morcos, and Emma Søndergaard Jensen and 2023 graduates Sheil Desai and Joshua Yang; and 2022 graduate Sonali Deliwala.

Established in 1960 and supported with gifts by the late John Thouron and his wife, Esther du Pont Thouron, the Thouron Award is a graduate exchange program between Penn and U.K. universities that aims to improve understanding and relations between the two nations.

Maya Brawer-Cohen, from Los Angeles, is majoring in neuroscience with minors in healthcare management and chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in global health management at a university in London to study the healthcare landscape and to advocate for vulnerable populations.

Sonali Deliwala, from Yardley, Pennsylvania, graduated from the College with a political science and economics double major and a minor in creative writing. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in economic policy for international development at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sheil Desai, from Voorhees, New Jersey, graduated from the College with a philosophy, and economics (PPE) major, with minors in chemistry and environmental studies. As a Thouron Scholar, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in planetary health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with a goal of going to medical school. 

Lynn Larabi, from Philadelphia, is majoring in political science with a concentration in international relations with a minor in anthropology in the College. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in policy evaluation and social intervention, or education policy and international development. 

Crystal Marshall, from Miami Gardens, Florida, is majoring in communications with a minor in cinema and media studies in the College. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in film programming and curating at the University of London, Birbeck, to advance her studies of Black film archival histories, film pedagogy, and film festival curation. 

Ellie McKeown, from Philadelphia, is a triple-major: in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies with a concentration in health and disability; in biology; and in English in the College. As a Thouron scholar, they plan to pursue a master’s degree in social research at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. 

George Morcos, from Rochester, New York, is majoring in biology with a concentration in molecular and cell biology, with minors in classical studies and nutrition in the College. As a Thouron Scholar, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in pathology, conducting basic and translational research on therapeutic toxicities in cancer, at the University of Cambridge in England.

Emma Søndergaard Jensen, from Newton, Massachusetts, is a philosophy major in the College whose studies focus on the philosophy of disability. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy and aims to contribute to a comprehensive theory of knowledge that incorporates an adequate Deaf epistemology.

Joshua Yang, from Northbrook, Illinois, graduated from the Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business, a dual-degree program in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Wharton School. As a Thouron Scholar, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in public policy and economic development to inform a career in public service.

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships serves as Penn’s primary information hub and support office for students and alumni applying for major grants and fellowships, including the Thouron Award.