A Colorado State University undergraduate is one of only 46 students in the United States to receive a prestigious Marshall Scholarship as announced by the British government.
Daniel Dominguez, a senior watershed science major in CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources, recently received the honor, which gives American students the opportunity to study at the United Kingdom’s top academic institutions. CSU is the only institution in Colorado to produce a Marshall Scholar for 2021.
Dominguez will be attending Scotland’s University of Glasgow in September 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in sustainable water environments. After that, he will attend either the University of Oxford in England or the University of East Anglia in England in 2022 for further study.
He explained the Marshall Scholarship will allow him to continue working toward finding sustainable solutions to future water resource issues.
“As I did while attending CSU, I will continue to try and raise the representation of historically underrepresented groups in water resource issues in the United Kingdom and form partnerships to continue pursuing social justice in water resource issues on a global scale,” said Dominguez, who graduates in December. “I will also strive to continue to be a role model to other first-generation, English second language learners, and non-traditional students as to what we can accomplish when we work hard and persevere.”
First-generation student
Dominguez, one of six first-generation college students selected as Marshall Scholars this year, is just the third CSU student to receive the prestigious scholarship. The last was Christopher Counts in 2013.
A native of San Diego, Dominguez served in the U.S Marine Corps as an avionics technician for the Presidential helicopter detachment — Marine Helicopter Squadron One — prior to attending CSU.
Dominguez said his time at CSU cultivated his passion for the natural environment, in particular water resources. His studies allowed him to spend more than 50 days in Yellowstone National Park catching pollinators for an internship. He also traveled to South Africa to learn about the country’s natural resources struggles for a conservation study abroad program.
“As I look to the future, I plan to work in underrepresented communities around the globe and help them receive a voice for their present and future water resource needs,” he said. “Analyzing wetlands and their effect on water quality, I realize that I need to be capable of building programs that can explore large spatial extents and analyze large datasets.”
President Joyce McConnell described Dominguez as “first to volunteer when a need arises” and as a student deeply respected as a quiet but inspirational leader. “Communities across the globe will benefit from Daniel’s expertise and desire to make water resources more equitable,” McConnell said. “He represents CSU’s very best and we are exceptionally proud of him.”
“Communities across the globe will benefit from Daniel’s expertise and desire to make water resources more equitable. He represents CSU’s very best and we are exceptionally proud of him.”
— CSU President Joyce McConnell
Marshall Scholarship
Named in honor of Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarship Program started in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude for the assistance the UK received from the United States after World War II under the Marshall Plan.
The scholarship program gives American college students the chance to study any academic subject at UK universities of their choice for up to three years.
With more than 2,100 scholarships awarded to date, Marshall Scholars have included six Pulitzer Prize winners, one Nobel Laureate, 14 MacArthur Fellows, two Supreme Court Justices and a NASA astronaut.
“Throughout the life of the program, Marshall Scholars have regularly pursued academic disciplines which reflect contemporary issues and priorities,” said Christopher Fisher, chair of the Marshall Commission, in announcing this year’s recipients. “With this new class, we see scholars continuing to search for a better understanding of today’s world and how best to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”
CSU juniors, graduating seniors, alumni and graduate students interested in applying for the Marshall Scholarship Program should contact Mary Swanson, program director of the Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Advising, at mary.swanson@colostate.edu.
