Irene Teting Ma, who recently earned a bachelor’s of science from the University of New Mexico, has been awarded a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship for 2005-06. She will receive $5,000 to attend the UNM School of Medicine. Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and most distinguished national honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all fields of higher education. Only 60 U.S. students are honored with the fellowship annually.
Fellowship selection is based on academic performance, leadership and service on campus and in the community, evidence of potential success in graduate study, a personal statement and letters of recommendation.
Ma is a graduate of La Cueva high school in Albuquerque. She majored in biochemistry at UNM, graduating this spring. Ma applied to several medical schools nationwide, but selected UNM “because it provides clinical experiences early on and emphasizes problem-based learning,” she said.
As an undergraduate, Ma participated in the School of Medicine’s Minority International Training Program traveling to Jos, Nigeria, to conduct biomedical research. The experience sparked an interest in international medicine, which she hopes to foster while continuing her studies at UNM.
“Her achievement attests to the quality of education at the University of New Mexico,” said Marya Free, Phi Kappa Phi director of fellowships.
Contact Laurie Mellas Ramirez, (505) 277-5915