EIU Media Relations

EIU alum Sienna Mark receives recognition, funding for achievements

Mark one of only 100 doctoral students in U.S. and Canada honored with prestigious P.E.O. Scholar Award

(Charleston, IL) — Eastern Illinois University alumna Sienna Mark (’20), currently a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Northeastern University in Boston, is one of only 100 doctoral students in the U. S. and Canada selected to receive a $25,000 Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Sisterhood.

According to her nomination materials, Mark is a dedicated public health leader and researcher passionate about policy, and education. Her research focuses on comparative politics and public policy, examining the intersection of earth science, disaster response, health policy, and systemic risk to develop equitable and sustainable solutions for global challenges. She earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Management and Health Administration from EIU in Charleston and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, specializing in global health policy. Mark was a recipient of the P.E.O. STAR scholarship in 2016.

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Scholar Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded January 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members who all advocate for the P.E.O.’s legacy and core values, listed as faith, love, purity, justice, and truth. Mark was sponsored by P.E.O. Chapter CF of Charleston, IL.

For more information about the P.E.O. Scholar Award, or other P.E.O. student financial assistance programs, contact Dr. Lauri DeRuiter-Willems at ljderuiterwillems@eiu.edu. EIU prepares students to accomplish their life goals through a combination of quality academics, personal relationships, and both on-campus and online learning opportunities. For more information about Eastern Illinois University, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of EIU’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit eiu.edu or call EIU’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.