Concordia student chosen as Rhodes Scholar
Concordia University PressConcordia University is pleased to announce that one of its students, Liliane Chamas, has been chosen as a 2009 Rhodes Scholar by the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Quebec.
Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the prestigious University of Oxford in England, valued at approximately $50 000 per year.
Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and best known awards for international study, and one of the most prestigious academic awards available to university students.
Presently completing an honours degree in cellular and molecular biology with a minor in multidisciplinary studies in science, Chamas immigrated to Montreal four years ago. She was born in Belarus and later moved to Lebanon. Fluent in five languages, Chamas started at Concordia in biology and was soon offered the opportunity to join the Science College, where she has participated in research projects studying everything from vision to reproduction and neuroscience.
She is currently completing her thesis at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) working in a molecular reproduction lab, researching obesity and diabetes. She paid for her studies by working as a server part-time at a local restaurant and being a teaching assistant for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Chamas also volunteers at a local hospital.
“Liliane exemplifies the spirit of Concordia, and we are extremely proud of her success,” said Concordia President, Dr. Judith Woodsworth. “Since arriving at our university, she has combined a deep passion for learning with a concern for the betterment of society. She is an inspiration to all Concordians.”
Chamas is one of two Quebec students to be awarded the Scholarship, along with Vincent Larochelle, who is completing an honours degree in Mathematics (with a minor in Classics) at McGill University. They will join an international group of approximately 80 Scholars chosen from thirteen jurisdictions around the world including Australia, Bermuda, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Germany, India, Pakistan, the United States and more. Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by Cecil Rhodes, British philanthropist and African colonial pioneer.