Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Law Center Student Wins Mitchell Award

First-year Georgetown Law Center student Tommy Tobin (L ’14) has been named one of this year’s 12 George J. Mitchell Scholarship recipients.

Tobin will be using the award, which funds one year of graduate study at an Irish university, to attend University College Cork during the 2012-2013 academic year. He plans to continue his studies at Georgetown after returning from Ireland.

Tobin, who has a passion for addressing the global problem of hunger, chose a program in County Cork because of opportunities in the area. He said he is excited to become involved with Ireland and the European Unions’ efforts to reduce food waste, and meet with leaders who he described as real power players in the community.

“At University College Cork I will take a range of courses [on the use of] law to make institutions work for the individuals they are supposed to,” Tobin said.

Tobin draw from the areas of law, economics and psychology in his studies at University College Cork.

Tobin first became passionate about food sustainability through previous service work as young adult. Tobin turned to volunteering as a means to engagement after a speech impediment discouraged him from public speaking.

The scholarship, granted by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, honors former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell (GRAD ’61), a Georgetown Law Center alum who played an integral role in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Tobin was chosen from more than 300 applicants nationwide.

“The Mitchell Scholarship is a great opportunity to … learn and grow with a great community of scholars in Ireland,” he said.

Tobin graduated from Stanford University in 2010, where he double majored in international relations and history. He is the founder and president of Project FeedBack, a nascent national food recovery program that aims to connect food donors with recipients.

Tobin was named a finalist for the President William Jefferson Clinton Hunger Leadership Award in 2009, a STOP Hunger regional honoree by the Sodexo Foundation in 2010 and a semi-finalist for the 2011 Echoing Green Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship for his work to fight hunger.

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