Barbara Ondrasik ’57 and David Groce Fellowship

Breadcrumb

With the generous support of a Whittier alumna and her husband, Whittier College has established the Barbara Ondrasik ’57 and David Groce Fellowship which is designed for sophomores or juniors of any major to engage in a substantial undergraduate academic research or creative project with a faculty mentor in any area of study.

To encourage full immersion in the project, the fellowship is intended to support students’ work during the summer, and under appropriate circumstances, the student’s work may continue during the academic year.

At the conclusion of their projects, Ondrasik-Groce Fellows will be required to submit a final product that demonstrates the outcome of their fellowship activity. For research fellowships, this typically will take the form of a research paper; for other projects, Fellows are required to submit a comparable final product, agreed upon by their project mentor (e.g., a film, sculpture). In addition, each Ondrasik-Groce Fellow is encouraged to make an oral presentation at URSCA Day at Whittier or a comparable campus forum. Fellows are highly encouraged to submit their work for publication in an academic journal, or to make a presentation at other academic conferences. A small amount of fellowship funds may be available for these activities. 

Ondrasik-Groce Fellowship awards and amounts may vary, depending on the project scope and timeframe, and may be attached to other independent academic opportunities such as international study or research, internships, etc. 

Eligibility Criteria

  • Sophomores or juniors in good academic standing
  • A minimum 3.0 GPA

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the Ondrasik-Groce selection committee based on:

  • The academic promise of the applicant.
  • The feasibility of the project.
  • The likelihood of successfully completing the project within the proposed timeframe.
  • The fit between the project and the student’s academic and/or career goals.

Benefits

  • A stipend of $5,000 for summer research.
  • Up to $500 for supplies, travel, or other project- related expenses.
  • A $1,500 augmenting scholarship upon completion of the project.

Application Documents

Past Fellows

2023-2024

Chloe Fung
Mursalle Khwajazada
Manasvi Vardham

2022-2023

Leah Hermosa Gibson
Bekezhan Zhaxylykov

2021-2022

Raymond Hartig
Jacob Hayes
Thomas Lyle-Temple

2020-2021

Amelia Bennett
Lauren Beasley
Lisette Gomez
Sergi Jacobs
Teresa Marchetti

2019-2020

Angel Alcantar
Amy Trinh
Agnieszka Witanis
John Paul Gomez-Reed
Cornelis Kriek
Rachel Villarreal

2018-2019

Cindy Banh
Malory Henry
Taylor Watanabe
Bahaar Shaw
Jimena Ruiz
Kimberly Mayekawa
Aubrey Baran

2017-2018

Trent Beauchamp-Sanchez
Kyle Hendrix
Xingjie Li
Lyla Matar
Madeleine McMurray
Charles Newman
Trevor Tuma
Brianna Valles 

2016-2017

Jessica Adachi
Alma Corado Barrios 
Aidee Campa
Philip de Castro
Lauren Galantai 
Brianna Sahagian

2015-2016

Kellen Aguilar
Rebecca Baker
Samuel Farmer
Kai Gentile
Bryce Keen
Lydia Park