University of Notre Dame juniors Miguel Coste and Noelle Dana have been named 2022 Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service Scholars for their academic excellence, leadership and commitment to public service. They are the University’s second and third Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service Scholars. They were chosen from among nearly 900 applicants from Phi Beta Kappa institutions nationwide.
Established in 2020, the Key into Public Service Program highlights the wide range of opportunities for liberal arts graduates to pursue rewarding careers in public service. Key into Public Service scholars receive a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship, along with the opportunity for in-person training, mentoring and reflection on pathways into active citizenship.
Coste and Dana worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) at Notre Dame to apply for the scholarship. CUSE promotes the intellectual development of Notre Dame undergraduates through scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships.
“It is gratifying to see both Miguel and Noelle, who are both exceptional individuals, recognized for their commitment to using their energies in the service of others,” said Jeffrey Thibert, the Paul and Maureen Stefanick Director of CUSE. “The fact that Notre Dame has had three PBK KIPS Scholars selected in the program’s three years of existence is a testament to the ability of our undergraduates to compete for even the most selective fellowship opportunities. As always, we hope that this recognition for Noelle and Miguel inspires even more undergraduates to look into fellowship opportunities with CUSE’s help.”
Coste is a neuroscience and behavior major from Tampa, Florida. He is an AnBryce Scholar. He is on the board of First Gen Careers, which is part of the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development, and past president of 1stG ND. Last summer, he researched the neural circuitry underlying C. elegans’ avoidance behavior of pathogenic bacteria. He was also involved in a research project monitoring Indiana schools’ response to COVID-19.
Upon graduation, he aspires to find sustainable solutions to energy working in the climate technology or infrastructure space.
“I’m so grateful for this scholarship and truly honored,” Coste said. “I would love to thank (CUSE National Fellowships Senior Program Manager) Elise Rudt and CUSE for all of their help, and my AnBryce family for always being so helpful and supportive. I hope to use this scholarship to learn how I can make a career in public service.”
Dana is a classics and philosophy, science and mathematics major, as well as a business economics and Hesburgh Program in Public Service minor, from Hampden, Maine. A child of divorce, she seeks to empower and advocate for the rights of children of divorce. She is president of the Notre Dame chapter of College Mentors for Kids. This summer, she will intern with Caritas Internationalis in Armenia, where she will provide humanitarian aid in a variety of projects, including those focused on combating youth unemployment.
Inspired by the gap year she took during the pandemic to work in the U.S. Senate, she intends to return to Capitol Hill after graduation.
“I am so grateful for the honor of being selected for the Phi Beta Kappa Society’s Key into Public Service Scholarship and look forward to learning how I can better advocate and empower others in public service,” Dana said.
“I would like to thank Elise Rudt and Jeffrey Thibert in CUSE,” she said, “as well as my family, the Dana clan. I am deeply appreciative for the friends, professors, mentors and many others who have supported and guided me throughout my undergraduate career, and would like to give special thanks to Maureen Dawson, Travis Bryant, Robert Ordway, Amber Nejjari and Anna Dolezal.”
For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu.
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on May 02, 2022.