Two Mercyhurst College students have been selected as contenders for the Davies-Jackson Scholarship.

Sean Fedorko, a senior double major in political science and philosophy, and Brittney Hopkins, a senior international business major, have been nominated for the highly competitive scholarship.

The Davies-Jackson Scholarship provides an opportunity for students with outstanding academic records who are the first in their family to graduate from college. Winners of the Scholarship participate in a graduate course of study at St. John’s College at the University of Cambridge in England.

Students contending for the scholarship can choose to apply for either a one-year master of philosophy degree program, or as an affiliated student for the two-year Cambridge bachelor of arts degree program (which is the equivalent of a master’s degree in the U.S.).

They must choose one of St. John’s specified fields of study, which include archaeology and anthropology, classics, economics, English, geography, history, history of art, modern and medieval languages, music, philosophy or social and political sciences.

If chosen, Fedorko wishes to pursue a master of philosophy degree concentrating in political science, while Hopkins hopes to earn a master’s in economics.

The Davies-Jackson Scholarship has a list of requirements for eligibility, as does any highly competitive scholarship.

Candidates must be American citizens who are graduating seniors enrolled in one of the private liberal arts colleges and universities on the list of eligible institutions. They must also be the first in the family to graduate from college, and must demonstrate significant academic achievement in the liberal arts curriculum.

Applicants must submit the application form, two essays of 1,000 words or less, official college transcripts, and two recommendation letters indicating academic fitness and general suitability for the program. The announcement of the recipient(s) will take place in January.

Past recipients of the scholarship gave the program glowing recommendations.

“Cambridge has opened a whole new world of experiences to me and, in fusing these new experiences with ones I brought with me from the USA, has fundamentally and irreversibly changed me for the better,” said Brian Briggs, the 2008 recipient from Bradley University in Illinois.

The Davies-Jackson scholarship is valued at approximately $50,000, and is an opportunity that is life-changing and unique. Many Americans never leave the country, let alone have the amazing opportunity to study abroad.

Fedorko has plans if he receives the scholarship.

After potentially earning a degree at Cambridge, he says he would “come back to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science concentrating on institutions, environmental policy and theory.”