Oakland, CA - Mills College alumnae Phoebe Connell and Elizabeth Setzer have received prestigious Fulbright scholar awards for 2007–08.

Connell completed the Mills post-baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program in 2007 after earning her BA in psychology from Columbia University in 2005. She received the Fulbright grant in public health to pursue research in Sweden. With the Center for Health Equity Studies of Stockholm University and the Karolinska Institute, Connell will study the social determinants of health through multiple generations. Using the extensive database of the Uppsala Birth Cohort Multigeneration Study, she hopes to investigate the correlations between early life factors and later health outcomes. She also plans to volunteer at the Swedish Red Cross, one of the oldest national Red Cross societies.

According to the Fulbright Committee statement of recommendation, Connell “is a person whose life and career goals are driven by deeply humanistic concerns, as is…demonstrated in her…experience in international volunteerism.”

Elizabeth Setzer earned her BA in music at Mills in 2006 and was awarded a Fulbright grant to study voice in Bulgaria. Self-taught in Bulgarian folk music harmonies, rhythms, and dissonance, Setzer has also studied extensively with American teachers, including Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, considered by many to be the foremost interpreter of Alkan and Slavic choral repertoire working in the U.S.

Setzer plans to study singing, conducting, and composing with the faculty of the Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The Fulbright statement of recommendation reads, “We believe (Setzer’s) passionate interest in the music and culture she wants to study, and her enthusiasm at the prospect, will go a long way.”

The Fulbright Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks among the top 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The New York Times recently selected Mills as one of three leading California colleges for students to consider.

In 2006, the Washington Monthly College Rankings named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, the Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education.

Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California, on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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