CHATSWORTH WOMAN HONORED; WEST POINT CADET NAMED RHODES SCHOLAR.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer A Chatsworth violinist who became a paratrooper at West Point wound up on a list of 32 American students named Sunday as Rhodes scholars for 2000. Melissa I. Sturm of Chatsworth is a member of the Army judo judo (j  `dō), sport of Japanese origin that makes use of the principles of jujitsu, a weaponless system of self-defense. team and has already commanded a platoon in South Korea, said her mother, Linda. Sturm will use the Rhodes scholarship Rhodes scholarship Grant to attend the University of Oxford. The program was established in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes. Until 1976, candidates had to be unmarried male residents in a Commonwealth country, the U.S., or South Africa. In 1976 women were accepted. to attend Oxford University in England where she will work toward a master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. in Oriental studies Noun 1. Oriental Studies - the scholarly knowledge of Asian cultures and languages and people Orientalism arts, humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts - studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational of the modern Middle East before pursuing her military career. At West Point, spokesman Maj. David Astin welcomed Sturm's accomplishment. ``We're always thrilled to hear such news, because it speaks well of the academy and of our academic tradition,'' Astin said. The San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. teen-ager had been focusing on her violin studies when she went to West Point on an educational workshop during her junior year at Taft High School. She was so excited by the people she met and the opportunities there, that she made up her mind at that point to attend the military academy, said her mother. ``It surprised me. Here she went from being a violinist to West Point. And she started a string orchestral group there.'' When she attended Taft, Sturm was a National Merit Scholarship winner, but did not need to use the $2,000 in scholarship money because West Point was tuition-free. ``She's always been outgoing and adventurous. She's always liked to do things that are different. She's not afraid to take on new responsibilities,'' said her mother. Last summer she went to Israel where she worked with the Women Waging Peace group, trying to bring Israelis and Palestinians together. Her mother said Sturm has been studying the violin with Kathy Brow of Westlake Village since she was 2-1/2. Sturm attended the Portola Middle School Highly Gifted Magnet The Highly Gifted Magnet (HGM) is one of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Gifted and Talented programs, restricted to students who meet the criterion of 99.9% on an intellectual assessment that meets the eligibility requirements of the district which is an IQ of 145 or in Tarzana, went for one year to the North Hollywood High School North Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white, grey. Highly Gifted Magnet and two years to Taft High School where she graduated in 1996 as salutatorian sa·lu·ta·to·ri·an n. The student with the second highest academic rank in a class who delivers the salutatory at graduation exercises. Noun 1. . She has performed with a number of civic orchestras in the San Fernando Valley. She also was one of the original members of the chamber orchestra at Church on the Way in Van Nuys. ``I really have felt that she was destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. for this type of opportunity,'' said her father, Art, when he learned of the Rhodes scholarship. ``It's a real testament to West Point how they encourage the cadets to work along these avenues.'' West Point and Yale, with three selections each, led 26 colleges and universities with students chosen to receive Rhodes scholarships for two or three years' study at Oxford University in England. William and Mary Noun 1. William and Mary - joint monarchs of England; William III and Mary II and Harvard had two Rhodes scholars each. The Rhodes program provides the oldest of international study awards available to American scholars, created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist and colonialist Cecil Rhodes. With the 2000 class, 2,886 Americans have won Rhodes scholarships. This year's entries were judged from 935 applicants representing 323 colleges and universities. Another paratrooper winning a Rhodes scholarship is Craig Mullaney of North Kingstown, R.I., who also ranks third in the nation in competitive skydiving skydiving Sport of jumping from an airplane at a moderate altitude (e.g., 6,000 ft [1,800 m]) and executing various body maneuvers before pulling the rip cord of a parachute. Competitive events include jumping for style, landing with accuracy, and performing in teams (e.g. . The academy's third Rhodes scholarship winner is Elizabeth Young of Branford, Conn. She is the West Point brigade adjutant ADJUTANT. A military officer, attached to every battalion of a regiment. It is his duty to superintend, under his superiors, all matters relating to the ordinary routine of discipline in the regiment. , responsible for discipline in the cadet corps. An AIDS researcher on the Rhodes scholar list, William and Mary's Eileen Robin Cardillo of Fairfax, Va., soon is to take her research to Ghana for more study. A second AIDS researcher, Michael Lanham of Gravel Switch, Ky., an 18-year-old senior at Centre College, does work on the mathematical modeling of diseases. He plans to study for a doctorate in mathematics at Oxford. ``Everybody is very accomplished and there's definitely an element of luck in there,'' Cardillo said. She eventually would like to teach at a university and do research on the brain while maintaining her interest in AIDS education and prevention. ``We're at the beginning of the epidemic and not the end. It will still be an issue in 20 years,'' she said. Caroline Parler of Irmo, S.C., a former homecoming queen, has won prizes in engineering and is a chemistry researcher, a dancer and a marathon runner. The University of Alabama at Birmingham UAB began in 1936 as the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama. Because of the rapid growth of the Birmingham area, it was decided that an extension program for students who had difficulties which prevented them from studying in Tuscaloosa was needed. had its first winner this year, Neelakash Varshney of Madison, Ala., an electrical engineering major. Elliot Gerson, American secretary of the Rhodes Scholarship Trust, said that with Harvard's two selections this year, the school has 295 winners, the most Rhodes scholars of any U.S. institution. Yale is second with 197. Princeton, which was not represented this year, is third with 181 and West Point is fourth with 73. Yale's best year with as many as three Rhodes scholars was 1992, when it had four; West Point's last three-winner year was 1961. At West Point, spokesman Maj. David Astin welcomed the news in behalf of the academy. ``We're always thrilled to hear such news, because it speaks well of the academy and of our academic tradition,'' Astin said. The Associated Press contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Melissa I. Strum Adds new award to long list |
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