Noisette, Founder of Hope for Haiti, Selected as One of 12 Scholars Nationwide
VILLANOVA, Pa., November 23, 2010 – The U.S.-Ireland Alliance has selected 12 new George J. Mitchell Scholars, including 2008 Villanova University graduate Ivanley Noisette. As a winner of this prestigious award, Noisette will study Human Rights Law and Transitional Justice at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland during the 2011–2012 academic year. Noisette, from Philadelphia, Pa., and Bishop McDevitt High School, earned his bachelor’s degree from Villanova with a major in Political Science, a minor in History, and dual concentrations in Peace and Justice and Africana Studies. He is currently obtaining a Master of Public Service degree at the William J. Clinton School of Public Service.
The George J. Mitchell Scholarship program honors Senator Mitchell’s role as chairman of the Northern Ireland peace talks and the historic 1998 accord between the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom and the political parties of Northern Ireland. Senator Mitchell's commitment to serve community and country, along with his characteristics of intellectual distinction, leadership, integrity, excellence, and fairness are the qualities sought in Mitchell Scholars.
Noisette’s exceptional record of academic achievement, service, and leadership caught the attention of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship Committee, comprised of luminaries including John P. Brown, Jr., associate director in the office of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Dominick Chilcott, Britain’s Deputy Ambassador to the U.S.; Michael McElroy, professor of Atmospheric Sciences and the first Director of the Center for the Environment at Harvard University; and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Senior Vice President at Rock Creek.
At Villanova, Noisette excelled in his studies while promoting an understanding of culture, identity, and politics as a writer for Polis, Villanova magazine, and The Culture Magazine, where he served as editor-in-chief. After the earthquake in Haiti, Noisette established the Hope for Haiti project and collaborated with the Clinton Foundation and the American Red Cross to raise funds for relief efforts. Last summer, Noisette worked with Bridge2Rwanda, the Rwandan Ministry of Education in Kigali, and Angel’s Heart to develop a sustainable work and education program for street children. Noisette is now working with Catholic Relief Services in Port-au-Prince, and plans to launch a community revitalization project in the Haitian town of Savanette in the spring.
Learn more about the Mitchell Scholarship: http://us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=34
Villanova University was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842. A premier institution of higher education, Villanova provides a comprehensive education rooted in the liberal arts; a shared commitment to the Augustinian ideals of truth, unity and love; and a community dedicated to service to others.
