One Stanford student and one alumnus awarded 2012 Marshall Scholarships

By Kathleen J. Sullivan

Alumnus Rayden Llano, left, and senior Will Stoeckle were awarded 2012 Marshall Scholarships. (Photo: Stanford University)

A Stanford alumnus who has worked on health care access issues in the developing world, including the Philippines and Rwanda, and a Stanford senior who has worked in the private sector in Europe, the U.S. State Department and the European Commission have been awarded 2012 Marshall Scholarships.

Rayden Llano, '10, and Will Stoeckle, '12, are among the 40 Americans chosen for Marshall Scholarships, which finance young Americans to pursue a graduate degree in a British university in any field of study.

Llano said he was "excited and grateful" about the prospect of studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science next year.

Stoeckle echoed those sentiments.

"Every day I still have times where I float on air, tremendously honored and exhilarated by the possibilities the Marshall will open up for me and my fellow Marshall Scholars," Stoeckle wrote in an email. "Reading the bios of past Marshall recipients, I'm blown away by what they have accomplished, and I'm honored that the Marshall Commission has given me a chance to join their ranks."

The objectives of the scholarship are to enable intellectually distinguished young Americans, their country's future leaders, to study in Britain; to help scholars gain an understanding and appreciation of contemporary Britain; to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in science, technology, the humanities, social sciences and the creative arts at Britain's centers of academic excellence; to motivate Marshall Scholars to act as ambassadors between the two nations throughout their lives; and to promote the personal and academic fulfillment of each scholar.

The scholarships typically cover two years of tuition, research, and living and travel expenses at a British university of each student's choice.

Rayden Llano, 23, of Miami, Fla., earned a bachelor's degree in human biology, with a concentration in international health and health policy, at Stanford in 2010.

As a Marshall Scholar, he plans to pursue a master's degree in international health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

"Through courses on health economics, policy and statistical analyses, the master of science degree in International Health Policy at the London School of Economics would equip me with the knowledge and tools to critically identify priorities using available evidence, formulate effective policies and rigorously evaluate their impact," Llano wrote in his application for the Marshall Scholarship.

"Oftentimes, however, good research does not always translate into implementable policy. Bridging this gap is crucial. Through the London School of Economics' master of science degree in Public Management and Governance in year 2, I would learn how to more effectively navigate the policymaking process."

Since graduating from Stanford, Llano has worked on health care access issues in the developing world, first with the World Health Organization in the Philippines, and most recently with the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Rwanda, a project of the foundation established by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In 2010, Llano was chosen for the Luce Scholars Program, a nonacademic program that places individuals in internships in Asian countries. He spent his Luce year in the Department of Global Health Policy at the University of Tokyo in Japan.

During his tenure as a Luce Scholar, Llano co-authored a study, published in 2011, in The Lancet evaluating how Japan could be a more effective global health contributor; co-wrote a successful $1.5 million grant proposal to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a high-level global health committee within the Japanese government, called the Japanese Diet Task Force on Polio Eradication and Global Health; volunteered in a UNICEF mission to build "child friendly spaces" in the area hit by a tsunami in Eastern Japan; and served as a teaching assistant for a course on global health policy.

Will Stoeckle, 22, of Wellesley, Mass., is an international relations major, with a focus on comparative international political economy.

As a Marshall Scholar, he plans to pursue a master's degree in international political economy and a master's in international conflict studies at King's College London, in order to investigate and more thoroughly understand the linkages between the trade and economic interests of nations and their foreign policies.

"The Marshall Scholarship would deepen my understanding of the causes of conflict in a world where black and white has been superseded by ethnic and socioeconomic tensions, where fighting for 'good' might really be fighting for oil or water and where special relationships are not always binary, but fluid," Stoeckle wrote in his application for the scholarship. "My studies at King's College London will enable me to shape the policies and solutions of tomorrow, and to provide leadership and ideas for this multifaceted, increasingly complex world."

Last spring, Stoeckle worked as an intern in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. During the internship, he helped manage and develop the foreign military assistance programs overseen by the State Department and the U.S. Department of Defense to build allied partner capacity in peacekeeping and counterterrorism operations.

Last summer, Stoeckle, who is fluent in German, worked as an intern with the press relations team of the regional branch of the European Commission in Munich, where he synthesized and communicated the concerns of journalists and citizens to the bureaucracy in Brussels. He also outlined the importance of – and reasoning behind – the financial rescue packages.

Future Marshall Scholars

If Stanford students are interested in overseas scholarships or if Stanford faculty are interested in nominating students for such awards, they may contact Diane Murk, manager of the Overseas Resource Center, at dmurk@stanford.edu, or John Pearson, director of the Bechtel International Center, at john.pearson@stanford.edu.

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