Posse Alumna Janel Pineda Wins Marshall Scholarship

Dickinson College Posse alumna Janel Pineda has been awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholarship for graduate study in the United Kingdom. A native of Los Angeles, Janel will pursue two master’s degrees over two years beginning in fall 2019.

Janel will study creative writing and education at Goldsmiths, University of London, followed by a degree in global migrations and social justice at the University of Glasgow.

"It’s a dream come true," says Janel, who ultimately aims to earn a doctorate in English to teach comparative literature of migration and creative writing workshops in community settings. "It’s a chance to immerse myself in both arts and activism in the U.K."

“One of the greatest lessons Posse taught me was how to think about leadership in different ways.”

Janel is the second Posse Scholar to win a Marshall Scholarship, which was created by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1953 to strengthen the country’s relationship with the United States. It is considered one of the most selective graduate scholarships for Americans, with notable alumni including leaders across academia, business and government.

"The way that migration is talked about and the way that policy is made in response, in the current moment, is at such a critical point," says Janel. "One of the greatest lessons Posse taught me was how to think about leadership in different ways, and how different forms of leadership can come together."

Janel previously studied in the United Kingdom as a junior at Dickinson, in a year-long program at Oxford University. She graduated from Dickinson College magna cum laude with a major in English and a minor in creative writing in 2018.