Two University of South Carolina Honors College students are finalists for two of the most prestigious and selective major fellowships available to American college students.
Hannah Brennen, a public health major from Knoxville, Tennessee, is a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious international post-graduate awards.
"This is a remarkable achievement for our students,” says Jennifer Bess, director of national fellowships for the South Carolina Honors College. “Having both in the same cycle for the first time since 2011 is a testament to the caliber of these students and their dedication to academic excellence and service to the USC community and beyond."
Brennen’s research centers on improving maternal health care in disadvantaged or rural communities. If selected, she plans to study medical anthropology and comparative social policy at the University of Oxford before starting medical school to become an OB-GYN.
Michael Pitre, a 2025 Goldwater Scholar originally from West Sayville, New York, is a finalist for the Marshall Scholarship, which has been awarded to academically exceptional American students since 1953.
Pitre’s research focuses on underlying memory loss with aging and Alzheimer’s disease and the effects of exercise on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. If selected, he plans to pursue a Master of Philosophy in biological sciences at the University of Cambridge before returning to USC for medical school.
If selected after her interviews Nov. 14-15, Brennen will become USC’s first Rhodes scholar since 2016. Pitre will find out in late November or early December if he’ll be the first Marshall scholar from USC in over 15 years.
Each scholarship provides full financial support for travel, tuition and living expenses along with leadership development and cross-cultural engagement opportunities.
Both Brennan and Pitre’s academic pathways center on innovative ways to improve the health of vulnerable populations in South Carolina and beyond.
USC is the state’s most comprehensive health care research and education entity – offering 100 degree programs and producing more health care workers than any other institution in the state.
The university is also building out a Health Sciences Campus that will house a state-of-the-art School of Medicine Columbia building that will house classroom and lab space where faculty and students like Brennen and Pitre can continue their groundbreaking research.