Becca Keener ’17, a religion major who is pursuing certificates in Near Eastern Studies and Arabic Language and Culture, has been awarded a Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship. Keener plans to attend the London School of Economics in order to earn a master’s degree in global Europe: culture and conflict. “For her senior thesis, Keener is studying the effects of religious freedom and minority rights discourse on societal dynamics in Syria. She plans to trace the relationship between religion and governance in Syria since 1970, with particular attention to how foreign intervention has shaped it.”

“‘I am absolutely delighted about the news of Becca's winning a Sachs Scholarship: she is a remarkable human being,’ said Jack Tannous, assistant professor of history. ‘In addition to excelling academically here at Princeton, Becca has been deeply involved in helping vulnerable and exploited people — Yezidi sex slaves, Eritrean refugees and others — both in the U.S. and the Middle East. She is the kind of person who, once you have met her, makes you want to be a better person. She is truly an inspiration.’” 

“The Daniel M. Sachs Class of 1960 Graduating Scholarship commemorates Dan Sachs … a distinguished student and a fine athlete who intended to enter politics. He died of cancer at the age of 28. Sachs’ friends and classmates instituted the scholarship to provide a senior with an opportunity to study, work, or travel abroad after graduation.

The scholarship's purpose is to enlarge the holder’s experience of the world. The scholarship is meant for students of broadly comparable intentions who are thinking of public affairs, whether politics, civil service, international affairs, journalism, and public education; or law, science, or medicine in the public interest.”

For more about Keener’s winning the Sachs, click here and here. For more about the Sachs Scholarship click here.