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August 25, 2006 > News > Rice’s first Cooke scholars named

Rice’s first Cooke scholars named

By Risa Gordon | Thresher Editorial Staff

Breck Garrett (Jones ‘06) and Mariam Chughtai (Lovett ‘05) were named Rice’s first recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke scholarship July 3. The scholarship provides up to $50,000 per year for up to six years of graduate school.

Any U.S. college or university can nominate two candidates to the foundation, which then chooses 77 winners. This year, Rice and the University of Washington were the only schools with two recipients.

The scholarship was established in 2000 through the will of Jack Kent Cooke, a media mogul most well known for his ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Redskins.

The selection criteria include academic strength, extracurricular activities and financial need. The amount awarded to each student varies with other financial aid awarded and the cost of graduate education.

Garrett, former Jones College president, will use the scholarship for law school at Indiana University. Garrett graduated with degrees in history and sociology, and as an undergraduate, he held interviews and led tours for the Admissions Office and was a disc jockey for KTRU. He also conducted sociology research on the death penalty.

Garrett said his work experience contributed to his selection. While in elementary school, he began working at his parents’ shoestore and has been working since.

“[The foundation] is just looking for hard workers,” Garrett said. “[Cooke] was a door-to-door salesman and eventually became a multi-millionaire.”

Former Fellowships Director Mauro De Lorenzo said Garrett’s leadership experience also helped.

“It’s just really clear how strong and natural a leader [Garrett] is and how much adversity he has overcome in his life to succeed at a high level,” De Lorenzo said.

Chughtai will use the scholarship to complete a one-year master’s degree in international education policy at Harvard University and then obtain a doctoral degree. Chughtai said having the grant will allow her to work for a non-profit while she is in school.

In the year since she graduated, Chughtai has worked with the Pakistani government on primary school reforms and as the funding coordinator for the Al-Shifa Foundation of North America, a non-profit that treats the indigent blind in Pakistan.

Chughtai, who came to Rice from Pakistan, said she wants to study education in developing countries, particularly South Asia and Pakistan. She said she wants to help educate poor people who cannot afford to go to college in western countries.

Chughtai said her award and future work will be a reflection on her learning at Rice, both within and outside the classroom

“Whatever change I make, Rice University and the Rice students I have known will have a part in it,” Chughtai said.

De Lorenzo said six students applied to his office for the scholarship nomination. Some interested students did not apply because of the foundation’s strict financial need criteria, he said.

A faculty committee evaluated the applicants and selected Garrett and Chughtai as the two with the strongest academic records and greatest commitment to public service, De Lorenzo said.

Garrett said he encourages students to apply for scholarships even if they do not have perfect academic records.

“The qualifications are that you have to have a 3.5 GPA, so I would encourage everyone to apply,” Garrett said. “In the past, people felt that if they didn’t have a 4.0, they couldn’t apply, but I certainly didn’t have a 4.0. Anyone who can apply should apply.”

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