Honors College Student Tiffany Brannon

MIAMI (May 4, 2007)- Honors College student Tiffany Brannon has been awarded a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship. The award provides three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science (Sc.D.). The Ford Foundation awarded 62 fellowships this year from among over 1,500 applicants.

The Honors College is a center of excellence at Florida International University. Promoting and supporting undergraduate research is one of the academic pillars of the Honors College. Tiffany, a psychology major, is an exemplary student who participated fully in Honors College life including undergraduate research activities. Her work culminated in an Honors thesis on the topic of African-American identity in the United States.

“As an undergraduate researcher, the notion that a foundation is willing to invest more than $60,000 in support of my graduate studies is immensely humbling,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany’s outstanding work has also been recognized by Stanford University. She will be entering the prestigious Ph.D program in Social Psychology at Stanford in September. The program admits only three students per year. Tiffany has been awarded a full scholarship by the university for a period of five years.

The Honors College graduate plans to study the relationship between ethnic culture and identity, and how these constructs can affect the formation of selfhood.

“For their generous support and encouragement, I proudly share my academic success with the Honors College and Florida International University.”

For immediate release

CONTACT:    Juan Carlos Espinosa, The Honors College
(305-348 -4100), espinosj@fiu.edu