Rachel Roca ’21 One of 396 Students Nationwide to Receive Goldwater Scholarship
Roca is a mathematics major in the School of Science.
Rachel Roca ’21, a mathematics major in Manhattan College’s School of Science, is one of 396 students across the United States to receive a prestigious Goldwater scholarship.
Roca, who also is working toward a minor in computer science and Spanish, recently studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary. She has been on the Dean’s List four times and is a member of the National Mathematics Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa and the National Hispanic Honor Society.
During the summer of 2019, she participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates, funded by the National Science Foundation, researching random sample voting.
Roca is the second Manhattan College student in two years to receive the Goldwater scholarship. Miguel Diaz ’20 was a recipient of the award in 2019.
“Rachel is an extraordinary student and has already shown incredible promise for creating impactful mathematics,” said Robert Suzzi Valli, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics and Roca’s faculty adviser. “Her strong desire to use her mathematical talent to promote social justice in our world makes Rachel an exemplary Lasallian.”
From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, 1,343 natural science, engineering and mathematics students were nominated by 461 academic institutions to compete for the 2020 Goldwater scholarships.
Goldwater Scholars have impressive academic and research credentials that have garnered the attention of prestigious postgraduate fellowship programs. Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 93 Rhodes Scholarships, 146 Marshall Scholarships, 170 Churchill Scholarships, 109 Hertz Fellowships, and numerous other distinguished awards like the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.
The scholarship program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.