Byers wins Jack Kent Cooke scholarship for graduate school

J.R. Byers ’14 was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Continuing Scholar Graduate Award to pursue a master’s degree in international relations at the European University at St. Petersburg in Russia.

Byers, who was a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Scholar at Cornell, earned a degree in international relations. He spent a semester doing an internship in Russia, which prompted his plan to earn an master’s degree in that country.

He was one of 41 recipients of the foundation’s 2014 Graduate Scholars, a select group of students who will study at some of the best graduate programs in the United States and Europe. All of the Graduate Scholars previously received highly competitive Jack Kent Cooke Foundation undergraduate scholarships, 18 through the College Scholarship Program and 23 through the Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Each Graduate Scholar will receive up to $50,000 to pursue a graduate degree at an accredited institution in the United States or abroad.

“These outstanding Scholars distinguished themselves as undergraduates, academically and through engagement in their institutions and communities,” said Emily Froimson, vice president of programs. “Our scholarship will enable exceptionally talented and driven students to continue their educational pursuits.”