Three of the USA’s brightest students choose Cardiff University for prestigious scholarships

Three of the USA’s brightest students have chosen to pursue international scholarships at Cardiff University.

Myya Helm, an MA student in History and Welsh History and Daniel Dominguez, who is studying an MSc in Computing, are both Marshall scholars. John Glover, studying an MA in History, is on a Fulbright scholarship.

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study in the United Kingdom. Up to 50 scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at a UK institution in any field of study.

US citizens can apply for the Fulbright-Cardiff University scholarship, which is offered each academic year.

Myya, who grew up in West Virginia, said: “I was awarded the Marshall to study Black history, a topic personally important to me, and one that I’m very passionate about. Cardiff University offered me the distinct opportunity to conduct historical research on Black coal miners in West Virginian and South Walian coal communities as I saw fit, and I’m excited to meet others with similar stories and see where my project leads me.

“I studied Political Science and International Studies in the United States, so coming here to conduct historical research has been a massive change. However, I really love that I’ve had the freedom to study exactly what I want to study. This has allowed me to pursue a topic that motivates me to get out of bed every morning, despite how it doesn’t necessarily fit into a traditional academic curriculum. My course and supervisors have encouraged me to challenge myself intellectually so that I’ll continue to diversify my skill set.”

Daniel served in the United States Marine Corps, where his last station was helping to fix the Presidential Helicopters, before embarking on an undergraduate degree. He spent the first year of his two-year Marshall scholarship in Glasgow. He said: “I became interested in the Computing programme at Cardiff University when I went through some self-reflection and decided that developing technical skills for my future research projects was the best use of my second year as a Marshall Scholar.

“I have enjoyed working with such a diverse group of students. In addition, the conversion course seems to have attracted people from quite a few backgrounds; so far, I’ve met filmmakers, entrepreneurs, and other scientists, all pursuing the same goal of gaining valuable technical skills.”

John, who is from Tennessee, said: “I have come to deeply appreciate my time at Cardiff. My programme has given me the opportunity to delve deeply into British and Welsh history, affording me the sense of having an in-depth international experience. I’ve enjoyed the sense of camaraderie in my MA programme, spending time with course mates in coffee shops on campus and in the city centre.

“The portable skills history teaches, including research and writing, are directly transferrable to law, and I look forward to building on the skills I have developed at Cardiff in law school. I intend to specialize in criminal law with an eye toward working in the public-interest criminal defence field.”