Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., April 10, 2013—Recent Williams College graduate José Martínez ’10 has been awarded the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in politics and international studies at the University of Cambridge.
Martínez is in his second year of study at Cambridge with a Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowship provided by Williams. He is pursuing an M.Phil. in Middle Eastern studies with a proposed dissertation titled “Jordanian Nationalism in Historico-Politico Perspective: From Karameh to PLO Withdrawal, 1968-1971.” In 2012, Martínez received an M.Phil. in politics. His project was titled “For God, King and Country: Intersections of Islam, Monarchy and the Nation in the Creation of Morocco and Jordan.”
Martínez graduated magna cum laude with highest honors in political science from Williams, where he double majored in political science, focusing on comparative politics, and history, specializing in the Middle East. He was a Department of Political Science/ Class of 1957 Scholar, peer tutor, and teaching assistant.
Martínez was named a Thomas J. Watson Fellow for Independent Study and Travel for 2010-2011. His project, titled “Alienation or Liberation? Migration, Politics, and the Printed Press in Middle Eastern Communities,” took him to Jordan, Syria, Morocco, Argentina, and Chile to conduct fieldwork.
There are two rounds in the application process for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The first is for U.S. citizens and the second is for non-U.S. citizens. In the U.S. competition, 769 students applied, 83 were invited for personal interviews, and 39 were awarded scholarships. Candidates are selected on the basis of intellectual ability, leadership potential, a desire to improve the lives of others, and the ability to be a good fit at Cambridge. In total, 90 scholarships will be offered this year.
Awarded to seniors and graduates, Martínez is the eighth person from Williams College to be named a Gates Cambridge Scholar, following Evelyn Denham ’12, Nathan Benaich ’10, Leah Katzelnick ’10, Emily Gladden ’07, Shannon Chiu ’08, Alan Rodrigues ’07, and Shawn Powers ’04.
The scholarships were established in October 2000 with a donation of $210 million to the University of Cambridge from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Published April 10, 2013
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