Our New Prestigious Scholarships Advisor

It is clear that Amy McLaughlin’s decisions have been driven by a love for life, for her family, and for teaching. During her mission in the Amazon region of Brazil, in fact, Amy discovered her love of teaching and switched her major from English to English Teaching. She received her bachelor’s degree at BYU and participated in the Honor’s program here as an undergraduate. She is thrilled to be back.

Amy received a Master’s in Education from Harvard. While in Boston, she began advising students on their applications for graduate school. In fact, the first student she advised was so thrilled when he got into one of his top three schools, that he flew Amy and her husband to Hawaii! Amy also taught high school English for two years and loved it. Her favorite part was bringing literature to life and making the classics applicable to students’ lives. She called it a “mission-impossible-type challenge,” but one she gladly embraced.

Her previous work as both a teacher and advisor has prepared her for her job with the Prestigious Scholarships office. She works with Audrey Hanks to advise students through the application process for national and international scholarships like the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Gates Cambridge, Truman, and Fulbright. When initially told about this position, Amy said, “That’s exactly what I would love to do!” Amy advises BYU students as they prepare for these graduate school scholarships. Some students begin planning for these graduate school scholarships as early as their freshman year, and Amy helps them navigate the process, prepare for interviews, and learn to present themselves well. Additionally, she acts as a writing coach for students and helps them see their application to the end. She is working on getting the word out on campus about these scholarships and helping the Prestigious Scholarships program grow. Amy said, “I would love to see us find more competitive applicants. BYU has such wonderful students and it been so fun getting to know some of them.” Her work in Prestigious Scholarships allows her to get out and interface with students while still maintaining things at home with her five children, who range from a second grader to a freshman at BYU.

If you would like more information about the scholarships Amy works with you can visit the Prestigious Scholarships website at ugrad.byu.edu/scholarships. If you are interested in meeting with an advisor to prepare for these opportunities or submit an application, please email national.scholarships@byu.edu.