Howell Native Awarded Prestigious Academic Scholarship

HOWELL, NJ - This Howell native is taking her talents across the pond, thanks in part to a prestigious scholarship award.

Anna Landre, a 2017 Freehold Township High School graduate and current Georgetown University senior, was recently named one of three Georgetown recipients of the Marshall Scholarship, an award given to up to 50 high-achieving Americans to study for a degree in the United Kingdom.

The Regional and Comparative Studies major plans to use the award to fund two master’s degrees (one in international development and humanitarian emergencies and the other in international social and public policy) at the London School of Economics and Political Science next fall.

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Landre has conducted research in disability studies and global development.

“Disability continues to be forgotten in most policy contexts, perceived as rare and apolitical,” said Landre, a disability rights advocate and wheelchair user, in a statement. “With my lived experience as a wheelchair user and my academic background studying Latin America, Africa, disability and international development, I aim to pursue a career crafting and implementing disability policy across the globe. I believe the key to achieving increased equity is transnational disability community-building and comparative policy research.”

Landre has presented her research on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of those with disabilities and pre-existing conditions since April. According to a news release from the university, Landre’s work has appeared in publications and interviews for The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Since 2018, the young scholar has also collected data for a paper she will co-author with Rev. Matthew Carnes, S.J., director of the Center for Latin American Studies, focusing on disability rights policies in Latin America.

Ultimately, Landre aims to work for the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in Geneva in the hopes of monitoring implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Landre also wants to establish an alliance or nonprofit organization to coordinate the actions of disability rights advocates from across the globe.

“I hope that establishing these connections will help disability activists learn from one another, build community across borders and pursue a more inclusive and just world,” Landre said.