Mulcare '04, Romero '04 win Mitchell scholarships

Robert Mulcare '04 and Cynthia Romero '04 are two of 12 college students nationwide to win the 2004-05 Mitchell Scholarship, a prestigious award funding one year of study at any college or university in Ireland or Northern Ireland, the U.S.-Ireland Alliance announced yesterday.

Mulcare plans to earn a master's degree in economic policy at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Romero plans to work toward a master's degree in comparative ethnic conflict at Queen's University in Belfast. Based on an extensive application, the applicants were narrowed from an original 245 applicants to 20 finalists and were flown to Washington, D.C., in November for interviews.

In addition to tuition, the award provides room, board, a living expenses stipend and an international travel allowance.

"I wanted to get a fellowship after college to study and travel, and this was a perfect opportunity," Mulcare said. "I get to travel all around Ireland and the U.K.; it's basically half studying and half cultural immersion."

Mulcare, whose parents are Irish, chose a university in one of the only Gaelic-speaking pockets left in the country.

"I have to brush up on the language before I go," he said.

After the one-year master's program, he plans to return to the United States to work at the consulting firm McKinsey and Co. in New York. Eventually, he plans to study for a Ph.D. in economics and work for the International Monetary Fund, World Bank or U.S. Treasury.

Wilson School professor Harold Feiveson, Mulcare's senior thesis advisor, said in an email that Mulcare has shown great talent at independent research.

"Bobby has excellent analytical skills and exceptional ability to organize and carry forward a research undertaking," Feiveson wrote. "His research was also marked by an ability to approach problems with an open and independent mind — he did not take anything for granted."

Mulcare, a Wilson School major, is also a candidate for the certificate in finance.

"I tried to take a combination of policy and economics classes," he said. "I think my business-oriented background was pretty unique. I'm not the usual type of person who applies for these scholarships."

Mulcare's senior thesis involves U.S. policy toward the strategic petroleum reserve in Louisiana. As part of his research, he plans to travel to Washington, D.C., to visit the Department of Energy and to New Mexico to interview staffers of Governor Bill Richardson and Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, all of whom have dealt with energy policy.

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"I want to come up with what should be the policy toward filling up the reserve," he said. "How large should it be? What set of criteria should have to be met for the release of oil? What role should private companies play?"

Mulcare is president of Business Today and has also participated in the Triangle Club and club hockey. He is a member of Ivy Club and enjoys skiing in his spare time.

Romero, a Wilson School major from North Brunswick, N.J., is also a candidate for certificates in Italian, Contemporary European Politics and Society and Hellenic Studies.

She chose the master's program in Comparative Ethnic Conflict to gain a broader perspective on conflicts around the world.

As part of her program, students will learn from experts on South Africa, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, among others, Romero said.

"We will see what we can learn from these case studies to apply elsewhere, and what parallels can be drawn among them," she said.

Romero gained an interest in ethnic conflict after working for a nongovernmental organization in Romania the summer after her sophomore year. She worked in a school program for disadvantaged children, mostly Roma, who spent their days begging.

"The program was to get the children off the streets, and to get the parents jobs," she said.

Since then, Romero has studied the Roma, the "so-called Gypsies of Eastern Europe," extensively. "Roma have been mostly left out of the democratic movement," she said. "They are extremely underrepresented, and live in conditions of sub-Sarahan Africa instead of southeastern Europe. They are really not understood, and that's why they attract me. It's a big challenge."

Romero's senior thesis involves Roma political participation.

"In the context of their current marginalization, I'm researching how they can become better represented in government," she said. "What do they need to do to strengthen their voice? Who should they be voting for?"

Romero eventually wishes to work in Congress or the State Department .

"Even though NGO's do influence policy, when it really comes down to who's shaping policy in foreign relations, it's the government," she said.

At Princeton, she is president of Acción Puertorriqueña y Amigos, a Latino group on campus.

"What I'm most proud of is that the group has become more inclusive and diverse in the past year," Romero said. "I was pushing for that from the start, and I'm really happy it's happened."

The Mitchell, founded in 1998, is named after former U.S. senate majority leader George Mitchell, who led landmark peace talks in Northern Ireland.