February 2022

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 11, 2022–Santa Clara University political science and ethnic studies double major Haley Howard ’21 is a recipient of the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship supports students living outside the United Kingdom in their pursuit of postgraduate degrees at the University of Cambridge. Established in 2000 through a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the scholarship is awarded to approximately 80 students per year and funds studies in any program. This year, 23 scholars were selected from the United States.

“I am honored to be selected for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and excited by the tremendous opportunity this fellowship provides,” said Howard. “I look forward to leveraging this incredible experience to achieve my goals and effect positive change in the world.”

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is known to be more student-focused than other international fellowships. A council of scholars develops the annual programming, tailoring it to the needs and interests of each cohort. The flexible and collaborative nature of the program is among the key factors that attracted Howard to apply for the award.

The application process differs from many other international fellowships. In order to be considered for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, applicants must first be accepted to the University of Cambridge. Each program of study may then recommend candidates for Gates Cambridge funding. Applicants typically do not know whether their application moved forward until final decisions have been made.

“Haley is the first Santa Clara University graduate to be selected for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and she is beyond deserving of this distinction,” said Naomi Levy, director of SCU’s Office of Student Fellowships. “Throughout her time at Santa Clara, Haley demonstrated her academic prowess and showed unwavering commitment to bettering the lives of those around her through both word and action.”

Howard boasts an impressive resume from her time at Santa Clara University. Named valedictorian of the Class of 2021, Howard participated in the University Honors program. During her junior year, she represented SCU as a visiting scholar at Oxford’s Mansfield College, a pivotal experience in her decision to pursue the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society; Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honors Society, and Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities. She also earned a Bernard L. Kronick Award for Excellence in Research in American Politics.

Howard is an active advocate for social justice for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color at SCU and beyond. As a student, she was a first-year representative and later co-chair of Igwebuike, the University’s Black Student Union. She was also co-chair of the Inclusive Excellence Student Advisory Council and was awarded a Joseph A. Grassi Social Justice Award. Today, she is working with Santa Clara University’s Anti-Racist Teaching Collective to promote inclusive instruction on campus.

While at the University of Cambridge, Howard will study towards a Masters of Philosophy in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies. After completing her degree, Howard plans to return to the U.S. to pursue a Ph.D. or J.D./Ph.D.

About Santa Clara University

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information see www.scu.edu.

Media Contacts

Deepa Arora | SCU Communications | darora@scu.edu