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Sarah Coomey '18, a political science and French major and a member of Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship

The Paxton, Mass. resident is the second UMass Amherst student to receive the nationally competitive award open to students of selective colleges and universities. Each Beinecke scholar receives $34,000 to support graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. One of twenty scholarship recipients, Coomey plans to apply to graduate programs in political theory.

“My current research interests fall under the categories of contemporary social thought and critical theory,” says Coomey. “I am particularly intrigued by questions surrounding the nature of personhood, aesthetics, and the political theory of home.”

The UMass Office of National Scholarship Advisement (ONSA) supported Schilling’s application. According to Professor Susan K. Whitbourne, director of ONSA, “Sarah possesses a unique ability to dig into the writings of the great thinkers in political theory and philosophy — an ability recognized by her highly enthusiastic mentors who have worked closely with her over the past several years. The process she engages in when she embarks on critical reading of texts is a highly sophisticated and well-honed set of intellectual skills. She is able to penetrate through the words to the underlying messages and meanings, which inevitably reveal intriguing contradictions.”

UMass political science professors Nicholas Xenos and Rebecca Hamlin, as well as Amherst College professor Adam Sitze, supported the application with recommendations. 

Established thirty-five years ago, the Beinecke scholarship program has selected more than 610 college juniors from 110 undergraduate institutions for support during graduate study at any accredited university.

There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients can supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships, and research grants. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduate study as soon as possible following graduation from college, and must utilize all of the funding within five years of completion of undergraduate studies.

“I’m deeply honored to receive the Beinecke,” says Coomey, “and I would like to thank my professors for their unwavering encouragement and guidance. This scholarship will provide significant support while I further explore political theory in graduate school. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”