Moore Earns Fullbright Award
 
The morning of April 3 did not begin well for USD middle-distance runner Zani Moore. The day dawned with a mile-repeat workout. Four repeat miles at a 5-minute, 30-second pace, capped with an all-out 200 meters.
 
"Probably the hardest mile repeat (workout) of the entire year," said Moore. "I overexerted myself."
 
At her 9 a.m. Death and Dying class, Moore excused herself, darted to the bathroom and threw up.
 
Her day soon took a U-turn for the better. An e-mail touched down in her laptop, the subject line reading: "Congratulations on your Fulbright Award."
 
A senior who will graduate next month with a degree in behavioral neuroscience, Moore was notified that she had received a Fulbright scholarship. About 8,000 grants (roughly 1,900 to Americans) are awarded annually in more than 160 countries.
 
Moore was in the Sports Center student-athlete study hall when she learned the news.  The room was library quiet when Moore screamed, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"
 
Teammates Eli Rosen-Duran and Natalie North-Cole picked up Moore and spun her about.
 
Beginning in September, Moore, who is of Latvian descent, will be an English teaching assistant in Latvia for a school year.
 
The opportunity to teach in the country where some of Moore's relatives escaped during World War II could not be more meaningful for the 22-year-old from Tigart, Ore.
 
In the early 1940s, after Latvia was invaded by Russia and Germany, Moore's great grandmother, Olga, her great aunt, Zane, and grandmother, Maija, escaped Latvia. Moore's great grandfather, Olgerts, worked multiple jobs in Eastern Europe to support the fleeing family members.
 
After the war ended in 1945, the family returned to Latvia before leaving for the United States in 1949.
 
Moore, who has never visited Latvia, is named after her great aunt. Her grandmother is considering returning to Latvia with Moore.
 
"Being raised in a war-torn country like that, to know people close to you died, that's hard for them," said Moore.
 
Moore's great grandmother wrote journals during WWII. She wrote only on the left side of pages, wanting them later to be translated. It was only two years ago that Moore read the translated diaries.
 
Asked what was most telling about her great grandmother's journals, Moore said, "The pure grit of my family, especially the three women to be independent during the oppression from Russia and Germany and making a living for themselves. My great grandmother becoming a teacher in a foreign country (Germany) as a minority, a woman and being from Latvia.
 
"Also, the power of education is what made me want to pursue a Fulbright scholarship. World War II was devastating and I found it appalling that people could have so much hatred to a group. My relatives believed in the power of education."
 
So much so that when Moore's relatives left Latvia for the United States and were limited in what they could bring they left clothing behind so they could bring books.
 
The Fulbright scholarship covers Moore's travel, housing, food and a stipend. Kristy Koenes, a former USD cross country athlete, won the award in 2015.
 
Of the educational opportunity, Moore said, "I think it's so important for all of us to understand different cultures. To understand how education is run in other countries. In order for us to improve, we need to understand how other countries execute their education systems."
 
Added Moore, who has a 3.71 GPA, "I'm super excited about this next chapter in my life and where it might take me. I think USD has prepared me well for it."

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Wade Earns Beckman Award
 
Beth Wade, a USD junior track and cross country runner, has received a Beckman Foundation Scholars Award. The honor, which includes an $18,200 stipend, is awarded for student-driven research.
 
A biochemistry major with a 3.97 GPA, Wade is working on a project that tests cell recycling and how it might affect deceases such as lupus and Cystic fibrosis. In 2017, USD was one of only 11 schools that received a three-year Beckman Foundation Scholars Award.
 
Wade was on her way to a track meet last month when she was contacted by her research advisor and told she had been awarded the prestigious honor.
 
"I was kind of surprised because I had only interviewed two days earlier," said Wade, who is form Moorpark. "I was stunned."
 
Two other former USD cross country runners, Mary Tenuta and Shea Ricketts, received the award.
 
Said Wade, whose grandmother was a chemist, "To continue that legacy is humbling."