The Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Foundations celebrates our first college graduate, Amanda Phanivong!
Amanda graduated as a communications major after only three years at Wichita State University, and has begun full time employment with Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas.
Congratulations, Amanda!
For the month of June, one of our scholars, Benjamin Brake has the exciting opportunity to utilize Timothy O’Shaughnessy’s scholarship to finance his trip to Jordan with Sijal Institute, a top-notch Arabic language program based in Jordan’s capital, Amman. After finishing his junior year, and prior to beginning his summer internship, Sijal will provide a truly immersive experience: language learning classes, as well as cultural orientation, all within Jordan’s sprawling capital. Coursework options include advanced formal language as well as local dialect training, as well as regular free time in the city.
Ben has been studying the formal Arabic language for nearly three years now through Columbia’s Arabic language department. With many cousins and extended relations from Syria, he has long desired to study this challenging language and see how far he can take it.
“All parties involved have been incredibly accommodating. I am especially grateful to the Timothy O’Shaughnessy Foundation for making this trip a reality. After a couple of years in a merely academic setting, and postponements due to Covid, I will now have the opportunity to put my studies to the test, all while expanding my cultural appreciation for a region of the world I have long hoped to explore.”
We’re honored to help Amanda Phanivong (Campus High School, ’20) participate in a New York trip hosted by the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University.
The purpose of the trip was to explore how different communities and cultures interact, as well as meeting with the following employers: Microsoft, Wasserman, TBWA\Chiat Day Agency and Mt. Sinai.
Amanda says, “As part of my international and intercultural communication course, having the opportunity to go to New York taught me about the diverse communities that reside in New York, as well as New York culture overall. I was able to visit Little Italy and Chinatown and was exposed to the different languages, as well as different foods which are a big part of both cultures. I also got to visit many historical places and learned about their significance to the community and American culture.”
Kameryn Overton, (Northeast Magnet School, 2020) will be participating in the University of Colorado Boulder’s Global Sustainability Scholars (GSS) program. This program is a two-summer commitment where a group of students collaborates with professors to build a project that addresses a specific theme, which this summer’s and next summer is ocean sustainability.
Kameryn will be working with Dr. Bill Dennison and Dr. Vanessa Vargas out of the University of Maryland on the Coastal Ocean Assessment for Sustainability and Transformation (COAST Card) project. Kameryn is very excited to get to work on such an amazing project and be able to see Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay for the first time!
Tami Adeagbo recently spent 3 weeks with a group from Johns Hopkins University exploring Salvador Bahia, Brazil, learning about the Brazilian health system and how the country deals with tropical diseases like Zika and Dengue. They studied the current political situation and controversial policies of the Brazilian government and experienced Afro-Brazilian culture and history while having a Portuguese language immersion experience in this rich agricultural, industrial and vibrant maritime district. The group visited the restored Pelourinho district “old city” a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tami says, “I am very grateful I was able to go on this amazing study abroad trip with the help of the Timothy O’Shaughnessy scholarship. The opportunity to study abroad in Bahia, Brazil was a life-changing experience for me. By completely immersing myself in a new, yet somewhat familiar culture, living with a host family that primarily spoke Portuguese, and attending lectures about language, politics, and their healthcare system. Afro-Brazilian language, and culture, I was able to learn so much about Bahia, Brazil in the short 20 days I was there.
Two of my favorite things about my trip to Bahia was learning about their culture. Since Salvador Bahia is the “Afro-Brazilian hotspot”, there were so many similarities between the culture I saw there and the Nigerian culture I am used to within my family. I tried many foods that are traditional to West Africa but were brought to Brazil by slaves during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Yoruba culture, specifically, is very well conserved in many areas of Bahia.
Learning about the Universal healthcare system and how Brazil handles and maintains its free healthcare system was very interesting and I learned a lot by comparing and contrasting the Brazilian healthcare system with America’s.“
Tami is a 2021 graduate of Eisenhower High School in Goddard, KS. She attends John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD where she is a double major: Molecular & Cellular Biology and Public Health.
Jordan Tran, (Maize South High School, 2020) is going to be busy this summer! He’s a junior at Duke University and is planning on staying in Durham for a regenerative biology research internship. He will be working with his primary investigator Chang-Lung Lee along with the Duke School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology/Department of Pathology.
While, there, he’ll also be preparing for the Medical College Admission Test as well as beginning the process of applying to firms for a one-year consulting position following his graduation in May, 2024. And just for kicks, he’s throwing in an extra physics course over the summer!
After interviewing an extremely competitive field of quality applicants, the Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Foundation is honored to announce the scholarship recipients who will graduate from area high schools in May, 2024.
WILL ANCIAUX – Kapaun Mt. Carmel
KAEL CONRADY – Valley Center High School
KATHERINE GRACE – Wichita Collegiate
NICOLE MOUSSA – The Independent School
EMILY NGUYEN – Valley Center High School
These students join fourteen other scholars from past years. “We are excited to support these students in their lifelong learning! Their experiences, achievements, and dreams reflect Timothy’s spirit of adventure and exploration. It’s a joy to be able to contribute to their journey,” said Clare Blasi, President of the foundation.
The 2022-23 class of Scholars was recently announced by the Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Foundation.
Lifelong Learning Scholarship Winners:
Carson Brenneman – Classical School of Wichita
Blaise Jirak – Bishop Carroll Catholic High School.
Finalist Award Winners:
Honesty Beaton – Wichita East High School
Toller Phipps, Wichita Heights High School.
Semi-Finalists:
Sam Augustin, Wichita Collegiate
Robert Clausel, Valley Center
Vaughn Decker, Maize South
Micah Dick, Eisenhower High (Goddard)
Max Kice, Classical School of Wichita
Grace Martin, Independent School
Patrick Olson, Kapaun Mt. Carmel
Onnika Vanover, Wichita Northeast Magnet
Congratulations to these fine students!
To learn more about these and past scholars, click here.
Please plan to join us!
Thank you!
We are happy to report that the 2021 Timothy P. O’Shaughnessy Celebration and Golf Tournament was a wonderful success by all measures!
The weather ended up cooperating, and all players and observers were rewarded for playing in a bit of rain, with another incredible double rainbow during cocktail hour!
Our entire family was honored and humbled by the generosity of our extended family and many dear friends, as well as some who never knew Tim, but were touched by his remarkable life story. Thanks to all who honored Tim!
The O’Shaughnessy Family