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| BATON ROUGE – Tomasz “Tommy” Stryjewski was recently selected as a winner of the nationally competitive Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Stryjewski graduated from LSU’s Honors College as a biological sciences major in 2008 and is currently attending Harvard Medical School. Each year, there are 30 Soros Fellows selected from several hundred applicants. Stryjewski is the first LSU student to be named as a Soros Fellow. During his time at LSU, Stryjewski supplemented his academic pursuits with a variety of impressive service projects. He served as a volunteer EMT with the Baton Rouge EMS department, working hundreds of hours answering 911 calls. He also worked as a surgical recovery specialist at the Baton Rouge Regional Eye Bank, recovering corneas from deceased organ and tissue donors. These recovered corneas are used for transplants that restore sight to patients suffering from corneal injury or disease. Through his work, Stryjewski became aware of Louisiana’s comparatively low rates of organ donation. He responded by forming Tigers for Donating Life, a student-run advocacy group that registered 1,000 new donors in its first eight months. Stryjewski plans to supplement his medical degree with a M.A. degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He hopes to use his skills to combat reversible blindness in developing countries and eventually work towards the eradication of preventable blindness. He has said, “Blindness is not just a health problem, but an obstacle in the very core of social and economic cohesiveness.” Stryjewski plans to use his medical skills and public policy knowledge to address these issues. The purpose of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans is to provide opportunities for continuing generations of able and accomplished New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. The program is established in recognition of the contributions New Americans have made to American life and in gratitude for the opportunities the United States has afforded the donors and their family. Stryjewski and his family immigrated to the United States from Communist Poland nearly 20 years ago. The Baton Rouge native retains a great love for Poland and visits his grandparents and cousins often. LSU’s Office of Fellowship Advising was created to assist students in applying for prestigious scholarships and fellowships, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Gates, Mitchell, Udall, Truman and Goldwater awards. Students interested in applying for these and other scholarship opportunities or for more information, contact fellowships@lsu.edu. -30- |
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