Mary Olson CC’21 has been named a 2024 Marshall Scholar. The prestigious scholarship provides tuition, a personal stipend for living expenses and travel costs for two years of postgraduate study at any participating university in the United Kingdom, with the possibility of a third year for students who wish to work toward a doctorate. Olson is among 50 recipients named this year.

The Marshall Scholarship was established in 1953 to celebrate and further develop close ties between the United States and the United Kingdom. Marshall candidates must be nominated by their university before going through a rigorous application and interview process. Criteria include leadership and a desire to contribute to society, ambassadorial potential and academic achievement.

Olson, who is from Excelsior, Minn., graduated from the College with a double major in economics and human rights. She conducted research on gender equity, stigma and menstruation with Professor Inga Winkler, and also was a research assistant at Columbia’s Institute for Social and Economic Research Policy, where she examined the effect of U.S. labor and worker protection laws on employment outcomes. Oslon was actively involved in Columbia’s Amnesty International Chapter as a member of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Taskforce.

Since graduating, Olson has been a senior research analyst at the Brattle Group, a global economic consulting firm. Recently, she co-authored a report estimating reparations for
transatlantic chattel slavery in the Americas for International Court of Justice judge Patrick Robinson.

As a Marshall Scholar, Olson will pursue two one-year master’s, in economic history, and in mathematical economics and econometrics, at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Students and alumni can learn more about the Marshall Scholarship and other fellowship offerings through the Undergraduate Research & Fellowships Office.