SP2 student among two from Penn chosen as Marshall Scholars

School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) student Adelaide Lyall is among two Penn students chosen as 2026 Marshall Scholars.

Established by the British government, the Marshall Scholarship funds as much as three years of study for a graduate degree in any field at an institution in the United Kingdom. Lyall is joined by fourth-year student Norah Rami, who is studying English and political science in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Lyall and Rami are among the 43 Marshall Scholars for 2026 representing 31 institutions in the United States chosen from 1,023 applicants. Meant to strengthen U.S.-U.K. relations, the prestigious scholarship is offered to winners based on academic merit, leadership, and ambassadorial potential.

Lyall, from Saco, Maine, is a student in SP2’s Master of Science in Social Policy (MSSP) program. She is also a 2025 graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences and majored in sociology with a minor in Hispanic studies. Lyall interned at the National Consumer Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, and Terrance Lewis Liberation Foundation. She volunteers for the Youth Advocacy Project at Penn Carey Law and worked as a writing tutor at the Marks Family Writing Center. As an undergraduate, she was recognized as a Dean’s Scholar, Benjamin Franklin Scholar, and Andrea Mitchell Center Undergraduate Research Fellow.

Her senior thesis, “‘We left a great life’: African Immigrant Incorporation in Maine,” analyzing the experiences of African asylum seekers, won the E. Digby Baltzell Award for Outstanding Senior Thesis in Sociology. With the Marshall Scholarship, Lyall will pursue master’s degrees in data and artificial intelligence ethics and digital sociology at the University of Edinburgh. After returning to the U.S., she plans to pursue a law degree.

Read the full announcement in Penn Today.