Jillian L. Correia named 2017-2018 Luce Scholar

Wake Forest senior Jillian L. Correia has been awarded a Luce Scholarship for 2017-2018. She is Wake Forest’s first Luce scholar in 20 years.

The scholarship is a nationally competitive fellowship program created by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. Luce Scholars are provided stipends, language training and individualized professional placement in Asia.
Correia is one of 18 Luce Scholarship award winners who were chosen from among 161 candidates nominated by 68 colleges and universities nationwide.

“As a Luce Scholarship recipient, I anticipate working to address political and economic challenges facing the Asia-Pacific food system,” said Correia. “I’m confident this next year will be rewarding in whatever city I find myself.”

Correia developed a passion for addressing the health implications of food insecurity while volunteering for a Native American permaculture institute on the Kha’Po Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico. There, she facilitated The Pueblo Food Experience, a diet-improvement initiative where tribal members eat foods solely indigenous to their region and culture, equipping Pueblo peoples with the resources and inspiration to regain their health.

Her research focuses on political, socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence food intake and human wellbeing. She presented her work at the 9th Annual International Conference on Sociology in Athens, Greece, and the findings, published in a peer-reviewed journal, serve as inspiration for schools and policy makers looking to improve lunch practices through grassroots change.

Correia, who is from Simsbury, Conn., will graduate from Wake Forest in May as a Reynolds and a Presidential Scholar with a B.S. in mathematical economics and a minor in studio art.

About the Luce Scholars Program
The Luce Scholars Program is a nationally competitive fellowship program launched by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. The program provides stipends, language training, and individualized professional placement in Asia for 15-18 Luce Scholars each year, and welcomes applications from college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals in a variety of fields who have had limited exposure to Asia.