2 Terps Awarded Marshall Scholarships

A University of Maryland student and a recent graduate have been named Marshall Scholars, one of the most prestigious academic honors available to American undergraduates. 

Sarah Cobau ’24, who earned degrees in history and philosophy, politics and economics, and Dhruvak Mirani, a dual-degree senior majoring in computer science and international relations, will pursue fully funded graduate study in the United Kingdom beginning next fall. It is the first time two Terps have received the award, bumping up UMD’s total to eight.  

“Having two Marshall Scholars in one year is an extraordinary milestone for Maryland,” said Richard Bell, professor of history and chair of the university’s U.K. Fellowships Committee. “It speaks to the talent, drive and public purpose of our students—and to the faculty and staff who support them.”

A two-year award, the Marshall Scholarship covers all university fees, cost-of-living expenses and includes an annual book grant, thesis grant, research and daily travel grants, and fares to and from the United States. 

Cobau will pursue a Master of Science degree in environment and development at the University of Edinburgh and a Master of Arts degree in history at University College London. Currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, Cobau said she was “surprised and thrilled” to receive the call from her interview panel.

“I am honored to have received the scholarship, and I am excited for the opportunity to support and strengthen the U.S.-U.K. partnership in confronting the climate crisis,” she said. “I am so grateful for all the guidance and support I have received from the University of Maryland.” 

A member of the Honors Humanities program in the Honors College and a Banneker Key Scholar with a 4.0 GPA, Cobau earned the Shipleys of Maryland Award for Best Academic Record in History and recognition as a College of Arts and Humanities Senior Scholar. 

Bell said Cobau’s classroom performance was “marked by unusually perceptive questions, daring interdisciplinary thinking and the ability to synthesize complex material across historical, philosophical and policy dimensions.”

Her award-winning honors thesis began on the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, which she hiked in its entirety over four months during the pandemic. After encountering members of the Twelve Tribes, a new religious movement, she returned to UMD determined to trace the group’s history and ideology. Her adviser, history Professor Saverio Giovacchini, called the project “one of the most sophisticated pieces of undergraduate scholarship I have encountered.”

Cobau’s commitment to public service is equally distinguished. As director of student affairs in the Student Government Association, she secured more than $200,000 in funding for initiatives such as free menstrual products in all campus buildings, expanded access to Health Center services, and efforts to increase transportation equity for students with Washington, D.C. internships. She also served as president of the Parliamentary Debate Team, taught writing to incarcerated individuals through the Petey Greene Program, and led trail-building and conservation projects in New Hampshire and Alaska.

In the Peace Corps in Senegal, Cobau works in agroforestry, environmental education and food security, helping establish tree nurseries, organizing gardening projects for women and youth, and leading environmental clubs for schoolchildren. Her service has deepened her belief that effective climate policy requires bottom-up, community-driven solutions.

Cobau, who hails from Chevy Chase, Md., said that after completing graduate study, she plans to pursue environmental law in the United States with a focus on climate mitigation and damage compensation in sub-Saharan Africa. 

“My work in Senegal has shown me how environmental issues are inherently linked to social equity,” she said. “The Marshall Scholarship will provide a deep understanding of the effects of climate change on those in sub-Saharan Africa and the best ways to mitigate these harms.”

Mirani plans to use his scholarship to pursue a Master of Science degree in global security at the University of Glasgow, followed by a Master of Science degree in cybersecurity at King’s College London.

“Dhruvak’s recognition this year is a testament to his brilliance, vision and commitment to the greater good,” Bell said.

His long-term goal is to work in U.S. cybersecurity policymaking, perhaps at the National Security Council or the Department of State. He envisions crafting international agreements that establish reasonable practices for cyber conduct and creating standards to prevent loss of life or property via cyberattacks.

“I bring a technical perspective to the policymaking process as cyberattacks become an increasingly large focus of our national security enterprise,” Mirani said. “Our government desperately needs people who have technical expertise in the places where these kinds of decisions are made.”

Raised in Glenelg in Howard County, he arrived at UMD as part of the Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students program in the Honors College. Mirani spent two years working with the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), where he developed open-source intelligence tools to protect American intellectual property. 

“Dhruvak was a mind reader and kindred spirit as we worked together,” said David Lovell, a civil and environmental engineering professor at UMD and Mirani’s research mentor at ARLIS. “His development and security skills were excellent. He showed tremendous initiative as we were getting the platform off the ground, and he was a delight to work with.”

Mirani became interested in public service as early as elementary school, when he recalls staying up past his bedtime without telling his parents to watch the State of the Union address. Mirani is currently student regent to the University System of Maryland and UMD student body president. He previously served as student liaison to the College Park City Council and was a legislative and press intern for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. His commitment to public service was honored when he won the Truman Scholarship as a junior.

He will continue integrating his dual interests in public service and cybersecurity as a Marshall Scholar, where he is as focused on forging community as he is on academics.

“The Truman Scholar community has become such an important part of my life, in ways that I never could have predicted or imagined. Members of my Truman cohort whom I met in April have become some of my closest friends,” Mirani said. “The idea of being able to be part of the Marshall’s community of talented, motivated young people—many of whom share that same public service interest—is something that I really couldn't have possibly said no to.”

Founded by a 1953 act of the United Kingdom Parliament and named in honor of U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarships commemorate the humane ideals of the Marshall Plan, which contributed vitally to the reconstruction of Europe following World War II, and they express the continuing gratitude of the British people to their American counterparts. Prominent Marshall Scholars include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman.

UMD’s two 2026 Marshall Scholars are among 50 students selected from a pool of more than 900 nominees nationwide. 

“Our students’ success in earning Marshall scholarships, one of the nation’s most distinguished honors, is a testimony to the university’s cultivation of leaders and innovators,” said William A. Cohen, associate provost and dean for undergraduate studies. “These two awards reflect their perseverance, mentorship and commitment to changing the world.”