Cassie Denning ’26 to Study Abroad at one of the “Four Ancients”
Denning was awarded the McFarland Scholarship by the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia. She will study at the University of Edinburgh for a full year.
Cassie Denning ’26 has always aspired to travel. A centuries-old university is a pretty good place to start.
The Ursinus College sophomore, who is majoring in English and media and communication studies, is going to spend her entire junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Denning has been selected as a scholar of the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia, which funds a full year of study at one of the “Four Ancients,” (the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St. Andrew’s)—Scottish parallels of Ivy League institutions in the United States.
“Being selected as a [St. Andrews] scholar not only validated all my hard work during the application process, but it is also an incredible honor to have been selected by the society as someone capable of success in Scotland, both academically and socially,” Denning said. “It means the world to me to have been selected and I absolutely cannot wait to begin my journey in Scotland. It will be an incredible opportunity for me to learn more about my love for literature and film while also traveling and learning more about myself.”
The scholarship program is designed to foster better understanding and relations between the United States and Scotland through the exchange of the best and brightest university students from both countries. The U.S. scholars are chosen from a pool of applicants nominated by 30 participating colleges and universities in the Philadelphia region.
In return, the Universities of Aberdeen and St. Andrew’s each select a Scottish student to spend a year at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.
The application process included a nomination from Ursinus, an essay, and a luncheon and interview at the Union League of Philadelphia. Denning said she plans to continue studying literature and film in Scotland.
Denning credited Ursinus Professor Kelly Sorensen and past Ursinus St. Andrews scholars Trey Dykeman ’25 and Carlie Esposito ’20 with providing guidance and encouragement to apply.
“It was reassuring and heartwarming to know I had the support and confidence from these three incredible people,” she said.