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Duke Senior Awarded George J. Mitchell Scholarship

Durham native Amelia Steinbach is one of 12 Americans out of 453 applicants awarded the scholarship

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University senior Amelia Steinbach of Durham, North Carolina, is one of 12 Americans selected this weekend to receive the George J. Mitchell Scholarship for a year of graduate study in Ireland.

This year, 453 students applied for the scholarship, named in honor of Sen. George Mitchell’s contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process. Recipients are chosen on the basis of academic distinction, leadership and service.

Steinbach, a political science major with minors in Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies and history, plans to pursue a master’s degree in Gender, Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin (UCD). After completing her studies in Ireland, Steinbach will attend Harvard Law School.

“It is my distinct pleasure to congratulate Amelia Steinbach on receiving the Mitchell Scholarship, which reflects both her many contributions at Duke and her great promise as a scholar of and advocate for women’s political leadership,” said Duke University President Vincent E. Price. “I wish her all the best as she pursues her studies in Dublin, and I look forward to following her career in law and politics.”

Steinbach’s academic and research interests focus on women’s political leadership. As a legislative intern for U.S. Sen. Hirono (D-HI), she studied the race and gender component of expert witness selection for the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her research led to an editorial that was published in The Washington Post.

While at Duke, Steinbach was recognized as an Alice M. Baldwin Scholar, and served as chair of the Honor Council and as a member of the Undergraduate Conduct Board. She is editor of The Muse, a feminist student-run publication at Duke. Steinbach is vice president of engagement for the Women in Politics club and has designed and taught a house course for other undergraduates on women in politics.
“I am humbled and honored to be named a Mitchell Scholar, and look forward to my time in Ireland studying women’s political representation and leadership at UCD,” she said. “I am filled with gratitude for the brilliant and thoughtful minds — of peers and professors alike — who have challenged me to learn and grow in the last few years, and have made this all possible.”

Steinbach will begin her studies in Ireland in September 2021.

For more information, visit the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Program website.