Southern Miss Student Wins Two National Scholarships

Elizabeth Fucich, a University of Southern Mississippi biochemistry major, knows all too well that one scholarship rejection does not necessarily indicate a trend of any kind.

Fucich, a junior from Bay St. Louis, Miss., recently captured a pair of scholarships from the national honor society Alpha Lambda Delta – the $3,000 Throw Scholarship and the $1,000 Stemler Scholarship. In doing so, Fucich becomes the first Southern Miss student to win either of these awards from Alpha Lambda Delta.

“The funny thing is that I had just found out I didn't get a scholarship I really wanted when I got the call that I'd won both of these from Alpha Lambda Delta,” said Fucich. “Winning the awards was not only a great honor, but also great positive reinforcement for me.”

Fucich served as the president of the Southern Miss chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta last year. Southern Miss chapter adviser Audrey Charoglu noted that both scholarships require a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and put Fucich in exclusive company.

“This is a national honor society that only gives out these scholarships once a year,” said Charoglu. “To have a Southern Miss student win both of them out of 250 chapters across the country is quite an achievement for her and our local chapter.”

Fucich, who is also pursuing a minor in Spanish, spent this past summer in Madrid, Spain learning more about that country's culture. Upon graduation she hopes to attend graduate school with an eye on one day leading a medical research team.

“I just love education and learning as much as I can about different things,” she said. “Eventually, I would really like to settle into a teaching position of some kind. “By winning these awards I feel successful and encouraged to test my limits and take chances – go for the gold or reach for the stars – if you will.”