Nearly four decades after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 claimed 35 Syracuse University students, a new cohort of scholars is keeping their memory alive.

The Remembrance Scholarships, now in their 37th year, were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the students studying in London and Florence through Syracuse University who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Those students were among the 270 people who perished in the bombing. The scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents and corporations.

Significant support for the Remembrance Scholarships has been provided by Jean Thompson ’66 and Syracuse University Life Trustee Richard L. Thompson G’67 in memory of Jean Taylor Phelan Terry ’43 and John F. Phelan, Jean Thompson’s parents; by Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Steven Barnes ’82 and Deborah Barnes; by The Syracuse Association of Zeta Psi in memory of Alexander Lowenstein; and by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

Selection Process

Remembrance Scholars are chosen in their junior year through a competitive selection process. Applicants submitted an essay and a reflective response in multimedia, artistic, musical or written format as part of a comprehensive application. The application evaluation committee is composed of University faculty and staff and current Remembrance Scholars. The $5,000 scholarships are awarded on the basis of community impact, leadership, creativity and thoughtful academic inquiry.

“The Remembrance Scholars bring something exceptional to our University: a commitment to learning, to leading and to giving back. Through their accomplishments, they carry forward the legacy of the students for whom these scholarships were created. Recognizing them is both a privilege and a point of deep pride for Syracuse University,” says Lois Agnew, vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer.

The Remembrance Scholars plan the Remembrance activities held at the University each year, and the cohort will be recognized during a convocation in the fall.

2026-27 Remembrance Scholars

The following Maxwell students were among those chosen:

• Madiou Bah of Bronx, New York, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an economics major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and A&S;
• Nasya Simone Bellard of Concord, North Carolina, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S;
• Tyler Branigan of Delhi, New York, a policy studies major and economics major in the Maxwell School and A&S, an environment, sustainability and policy major in the Maxwell School and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Teaghan Brostrom of Sacramento, Califorrnia, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the Newhouse School and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Mason Burley of Webster, New York, an inclusive adolescent education major in the School of Education and history major in the Maxwell School and A&S;
• Samuel Esteban Cornell of Houston, Texas, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S and finance major in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management;
• Shivika Gupta of Rochester, New York, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S and law, society and policy major in the Maxwell School;
• Emily Hunnewell of Chicago, Illinois, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a business management major in the Whitman School;
• Kennedy King of Pasadena, California, an anthropology major and political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S, an art history major in A&S and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Aaron Lener of Homer, New York, a linguistic studies major in A&S, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Carter J. Moreland of Dallas, Texas, a political science major and an economics major in the Maxwell School and A&S;
• Darren Murphy of San Ramon, California, an applied mathematics major in A&S, an economics major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Ella Roerden of Syracuse, New York, an anthropology major and international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S;
• Sreshtha Thangaswamy of Edison, New Jersey, a political science major and economics major in the Maxwell School and A&S; and
• Cara Williams of Greenwood, Indiana, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a political philosophy major in A&S and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Read the full article via the  Syracuse University Today website.