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George Vlahakis
IU Media Relations
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Last modified: Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Three IUB students to receive 9-11 scholarships

Indiana University Bloomington on Thursday (Sept. 11) will recognize three women who are the second recipients of scholarships memorializing IU's victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The IU Student Foundation raised more than $100,000 last year to establish the scholarships through proceeds from its Little 500 bicycle race activities and private gifts. The new scholarship recipients will be honored at a 3 p.m. reception at the University Club in the Indiana Memorial Union.

Receiving the $1,500 scholarships will be Sarah Rystan Irani, a sophomore from Granger, Ind.; Brook Rashell Mitchell, a senior from Bloomington, Ind., whose parents are from Vacaville and Bakersfield, Calif.; and Virginia Leonore Vasquez, a junior from Lafayette, Ind.

Criteria for the scholarships were established by three IU students who lost their fathers in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Many others lost family members and friends -- an exact number of members of the IU family directly affected by the events of Sept. 11, 2001 remains uncertain. One of the students, Rachel Jacobson, a senior from New York City, helped select the scholarship recipients this year.

About the recipients:

-- Irani, entering her second year at IU, is preparing for a career in law and majoring in marketing and international business. She co-founded the IU Debate Team and also founded the IU Mock Trial Team for undergraduates. She has been co-chair of the Eigenmann Judicial Board and a resident assistant in Foster Quadrangle. She participated in the Gender Talk program and volunteered at Culture Fest and a local homeless shelter. Her parents are Marshall and Grace Musser, 10067 Shadow Wood Dr., Granger, Ind.

-- Mitchell, a senior studying secondary education and criminal justice, is the first person from her family to attend college. She is a member of the Dean's Advisory Council at the IU School of Education, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Kappa Delta Pi honor society. She was named to the National Dean's List this summer. She previously received Little 500 Working Students scholarships and the Emil H. and Lena Wilson Mangel Scholarship. She is entering her fourth year as a student supervisor for Residential Programs and Services. Her parents are Joe Mitchell, 242 Woodcrest, Vacaville, Calif., and Elizabeth Moore, 7109 Ranch House Road., Bakersfield, Calif. She previously lived in South Bend, Ind.

-- Vasquez, a junior studying English and music, is a member of Phi Eta Sigma honorary society and was named to the National Dean's List and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's List. She is a Minority Achievement Program scholar and was one of the top 10 percent of 10,277 applicants selected to attend the 2003 Monster.com Diversity Leadership Conference. She has been an Honors College Community Service Program coordinator and organized student volunteers and coordinated events for the Monroe County Humane Society, Martin Luther King Day, the Shalom Center and the Community Kitchen. She co-founded the Business Careers in Entertainment Club and has been an intern or reporter for Alpha Publishing, WLFI-TV and the Indiana Daily Student. She has edited the literary publications The Fine Print and Fusion. She has also performed with the IU Singing Hoosiers and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Her parents are Alexander and Barbara Vasquez, 2513 Sunrise Ave., Lafayette, Ind.