Wheaton graduate Myles Matteson wins Marshall Scholarship

Myles Matteson, a 2006 graduate of Wheaton College, was named a 2007 Marshall Scholar today. Matteson is one of approximately 40 college students nationwide to earn the honor, and he is the second Wheaton student to win the award since 2001.

Matteson, from Epson, N.H., studied political science at Wheaton. His passions include international law and domestic justice systems, in particular in developing nations. He hopes to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy at Oxford, with a focus on socio-legal studies. Matteson recently interned in Rwanda with the Prosecutor General of the Republic, where he extradited genocide fugitives and gained valuable hands-on experience in international law.

"During my first week [in Rwanda], I authored four extradition requests, as many as had been written in the previous twelve years," Matteson said. "I quickly became the crucial link between the Rwanda government and British Senior Crown Prosecutors and officials from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, not only because I could read extradition law, but also because I knew how to write and speak English. While I was eager to fill this critical and necessary role, I was dismayed by the obvious failure of the international community to provide legal assistance to Rwanda."

A Presidential Scholar, Balfour Scholar and consistent Dean's List student, Matteson earned a 3.86 grade-point average at Wheaton. A home-schooled student until attending Wheaton, Matteson has talents that extend far beyond the classroom. He mastered the sport of fencing and was a 2003 Junior Olympian. At Wheaton, he was president and head instructor of the fencing club, a member of the equestrian team, ultimate frisbee team, the Wheaton College Conservatives and a student ambassador in the Admission Office; he is also an avid sailor. Considered a Renaissance man by his professors, Matteson is a championship ox teamster and an award-winning bag piper who also plays several other musical instruments.

Matteson was the recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship in 2005, which gave him the opportunity to intern at the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training. There, he clearly saw the limitations of the U.S. legal system on foreign countries. "Aid to developing nations must include innovative judicial support, as legal expertise is one of the most important yet overlooked necessities for the success of a country," he wrote.

In addition to his experience in Rwanda and at the Department of Justice, Matteson interned at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. There, he monitored the courtroom proceedings of the Slobodan Milosevic trial. Upon returning to Wheaton, he researched judicial reform in the former Yugoslavia and did his senior honors thesis on judicial reconstruction after genocide.

"Myles' recent trip to Rwanda to work for the Prosecutor General of the Republic further underscores his dedication and willingness to engage in grassroots activism to assist in attempting to correct some of these injustices to humanity," said Assistant Professor of Political Science Marcus Allen. "Myles is poised to echo the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King's assertion in a 'Letter From Birmingham Jail,' that 'injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everyone.' Myles is doing the hard work to challenge injustice."

Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. At least forty Scholars are selected each year to study either at graduate or occasionally undergraduate level at an UK institution in any field of study. Each scholarship is held for two years. Rebecca Chamberlain '99 won the award in 2001 and used the award to read for a master's degree at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES) at the University College London.

In recent years, three Wheaton students have been named Rhodes Scholars and more than 50 have won other national academic awards, including four Watson Fellowhips, the British Marshall, Goldwater, Beinecke, Trumans, Fulbrights, Rotary Ambassadorial scholarships, Udalls, James Madison Fellowships and an American Council for International Education scholarship. The Institute for International Education recently recognized Wheaton as one of the top liberal arts colleges producing Fulbright scholars, and the Truman Foundation named Wheaton an Honor Institution.