Grace Zhang '17 awarded 2019 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Award funds graduate studies for talented immigrants and children of immigrants.

Julia Mongo | Office of Distinguished Fellowships
April 11, 2019

Two MIT alumnae and three current MIT doctoral students are among this year’s 30 recipients of The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. The five students — Joseph Maalouf, Indira Puri, Grace Zhang, Helen Zhou, and Jonathan Zong — will each receive up to $90,000 to fund their doctoral educations.

The newest fellows were selected from a pool of 1,767 applications based on their potential to make significant contributions to U.S. society, culture, or their academic fields. The P.D. Soros Fellowships are open to all American immigrants and children of immigrants, including DACA recipients, refugees, and asylum seekers. In the past nine years, 34 MIT students and alumni have been awarded this fellowship.

Founded by Hungarian immigrants Daisy M. Soros and her late husband Paul Soros (1926-2013), the program honors continuing generations of immigrant contributions to the United States. “Paul and Daisy Soros Fellows are all passionate about giving back to the country and remind us of the very best version of America,” says Craig Harwood, director of the fellowship program.

MIT students interested in applying to the P.D. Soros Fellowship should contact Kim Benard, assistant dean of distinguished fellowships. The application for the 2020 fellowship is now open and the national deadline is Nov. 1.