Author: jl911

Antoine Desir (France / Dual Degree: École Polytéchnique, Palaiseau – Columbia University)

Mr. Antoine Desir is a mathematically gifted young man. After attending preparatory school at Louis-Le-Grand, Antoine was ranked 7th out of 83 in a national entrance competition to enter École Polytéchnique’s Mathematics and Engineering Science program.

In spring 2011, Antoine worked with Dr. William M. McEneaney in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University California San Diego, to study a method of reduction of the curse of dimensionality in optimal control, using a max-plus, or “tropical,” algorithm, in which the graph of the value function is approximated by a tropical polyhedron. This work led to publication, which is a high honor for a master’s-level student. Antoine also did research on Revenue Yield Management for Air France while he was a student at the Polytéchnique.

A French citizen of Vietnamese origin, Antoine has witnessed the extreme poverty of a developing country, and he has also lived in the Parisian milieu of elite students competing for spots in the French Grandes Écoles. Antoine understands what generosity and humane philanthropy mean. His father, a successful entrepreneur and prominent social activist in Vietnam, established a NGO called “Dust of Life,” to provide computers and Internet access to poor children. Antoine will follow his father’s example with a commitment to serve the needs of underprivileged communities.

Thomas Philippeau (France / Dual Degree: École pour L’Informatique et Les Techniques Avancées – Stevens Institute of Technology)

Mr. Thomas Philippeau worked at Accor, as a specialist in the creation and enhancement of new and existing information technologies. He was praised by his professors and supervisors as an open-minded and fast learner who adapts easily to various working methods and unforeseen constraints.

Thomas is very impressed by the diversity of the American population and culture, including the popular election in 2008 of an African-American as the nation’s president. He will enter Stevens Institute of Technology in the spring of 2011, and he looks forward to broadening his vision through the experience of an American graduate education. He hopes that his time in the United States will allow him to promote cultural exchange while here and especially after he returns to France.

Andres Lizcano Rodriguez (Colombia / Dual Degree: Sciences Po – Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs)

Mr. Andres Lizcano Rodriguez is a bright and creative individual whose actions are motivated by his desire to serve others.

From an intellectual family in Colombia, South America, Andres received a bilingual education in Spanish and German, and spent his childhood years in Germany.

A mathematically gifted pupil, Andres made the Top 15 for four consecutive years in the Colombian National Olympiad among high-school students nationwide. He then studied mathematics at Colombia’s Los Andes University, graduating with high honors. Meanwhile his desire to contribute to the cause of social justice also led him to pursue the study of law as a minor.

While studying abroad for one year at Montpellier, Andres co-founded the Montpellier Branch of a NGO called Foundacion YOCreo En Colombia. Colombia has been plagued by a decades-long armed conflict involving drug-trafficking and terrorism. Andres seeks to prove to the outside world that Colombia is also a country with a long and distinguished history, diverse cultural heritage, and immense economic potential.

Following the Latin-American intellectual tradition that takes cultural, political and philosophical inspiration from Europe, particularly from France, Andres is pursuing a dual master’s degree in International Development at Sciences Po in Paris and Columbia University in New York. He believes his French and American experiences will prepare him to take the risks that are needed to effect real change in Colombian society.

Inspired by Latin American cultural and political luminaries such as Gabriel García Márquez and Pablo Neruda, Andres’ career goal is to be a public intellectual and Colombia’s official representative (Ambassador) to the United States or France.

Andres is a native speaker of Spanish and German, fluent in French and English, as well as conversant in Italian and Portuguese.

The Scholarship Reception Ceremony Will Be Held May 14, 2012, at Maison Française, Columbia University.

The recipients for the 2010-2011 Jérôme Lohez September 11th Scholarship have been selected, and are as following:

• Paula Henin (France, London School of Economics – Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne – Columbia University Law School)
• Hélène Franchineau (France, Sciences Po – Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism)
• Alban Pétré (France, Ecole Pour L’Informatique et Les Techniques Avancees – Stevens Institute of Technology)

1. Paula Henin (France, London School of Economics – Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne – Columbia University Law School)

Ms. Henin’s academic brilliance was clear at young age. She was recognized by the Mayor de Sevres for outstanding results in the French Baccalaureate exam. Paula then went on to study International Relations and History at the London School of Economics (LSE). She specialized in the Middle East and public international law. Paula was among the top one percent of students in her year. Paula felt compelled to try to shed light on the situation in which there seems to be such misunderstanding and sometimes animosity between the west and the Arab world. Her dissertation thesis, “A French perspective on the British and American interventions in the Levant, May – November 1958,” was commended by the LSE’s Board of Examiners and awarded the Hue Wheldon Prize.

Paula has received a 2010-2011 Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship to participate in a dual degree program at Columbia Law School and Univiersité Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is a board member of the Columbia International Arbitration Association. Paula has a strong interest in international law; her ultimate goal is to work as a legal adviser for a major international organization, the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, or an international court or tribunal.

Ms. Henin speaks French, English, Spanish and Arabic and is a passionate guitar and saxophone player.

2. Hélène Franchineau (France, Sciences Po – Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism)

Ms. Franchineau completed a journalism program at Sciences Po Paris and programs in International Affairs and Chinese Language and Culture at Sciences Po Bordeaux.

Hélène then worked for Le Monde and Slate in Shanghai and Paris; she wrote news on the Shanghai World Expo, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Muslim minority riots in Xinjiang province. In 2009 Hélèn interned at The Washington Times foreign desk where she covered policies on climate change.

Hélène plans to do multimedia journalism, which she considers to be the future of journalism. She chose to study in the United States because she believes it has been far ahead of European countries in developing this kind of journalism. She enrolled at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism this fall. She is interested not only in story-telling, but also in blogging, radio editing, photography and video, and social media.

Ms. Franchineau speaks French, English, and Chinese.

3. Alban Pétré (France, Ecole Pour L’Informatique et Les Techniques Avancees – Stevens Institute of Technology)

Mr. Pétré worked at Société Générale for the global head of Risk Assessment and Controls. He worked on the creation of a methodology to improve web-browsing control of Societe Generale system users and other security-related projects. He was praised by his professors and supervisors for his creativity and attention to details and his team spirit.

Alban visited New York for the first time in 2009 and fell in love with the city. He will enter Stevens Institute of Technology in spring, 2011. He looks forward broadening his vision through an American educational experience, and he hopes that his time in the United States will allow him to promote cultural exchange while here and when he returns to France.

The Award Presentation Gala will be held in spring 2011. More details will follow soon.

Jérôme Lohez 2010 Scholarship Selection Committee:

Professor Elizabeth Roistacher (Committee Chairman)
Captain Jordan Becker (2009 Scholarship recipient)
Mr. Stephane Bouniol
Mr. Philippe Carls
Mr. Mark Denne
Mr. Florent D’Halluin (2009 Scholarship recipient)
Mr. Brian T. Kelly
Mr. Vincent De Laggabe
Ms. Dening Lohez (Founder)
Ms. Barbara Wing

Professor Elizabeth Roistacher is an economics professor at Queens College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. She has previously served as deputy assistant secretary for economic affairs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and as a Brookings Economic Policy fellow. Professor Roistacher has also served as director of the Office of Honors and Scholarships at Queens College. Professor Roistacher received Ph.D. in economics from University of Pennsylvania.