ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – A Winthrop University senior will join nine other students from around the world in December at a prestigious Nobel scholarship program designed to encourage young people who show great promise.
Bautista Vivanco, a political science and economics double major and track and field student-athlete from Parana, Argentina, learned this summer that he was selected to receive a Future Nobel Laureate Scholarship.
The program involves working on a semester-long course from October through January. Vivanco and the other scholars also will meet Dec. 5-11 in Stockholm, Sweden, where they will have the chance to network while developing intercultural competencies useful for their future careers.
During the Stockholm visit, the scholars will discuss the intersection of science and global communities and explore their collective impact on the future. They'll also hear a lecture from new Nobel Laureates and will visit Stockholm City Hall, the Nobel Prize Museum and the Bergh School of Communication.
This will be Vivanco’s first chance to travel outside of the Americas. “I’ve never been to Europe,” he said, adding that the trip will be the chance of a lifetime.
Winthrop professors and administrators described Vivanco as an accomplished student who has an upbeat, friendly attitude. Political Science Professor Adolphus Belk Jr. has taught Vivanco and serves as his advisor. “Bautista is an amazing student who combines an inquisitive mind with a strong work ethic,” Belk wrote in his nomination letter for Vivanco for the Future Nobel award. He said the senior was an engaged student from the beginning, who asked good questions and came to class well prepared for the lessons.
Also, because Vivanco exhibited an aptitude for research and writing, he was invited to help another political science professor with a research project examining government repression and police brutality in Latin America and Africa during the pandemic. Bautista offered excellent suggestions on their theory-building, the professor said, and the team expects to publish their findings.
The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards helped Bautista with the application process for the scholarship.
More on Vivanco
After the Argentinian finished high school in his native country and then a semester of high school in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2018, Vivanco looked for an area university to attend. Winthrop stood out for several reasons, he said. It has a good political science department, it offered track and field, it has a beautiful campus and offered an International Ambassadors Program which helped pay for his college.
Vivanco works as a resident assistant and as a Spanish tutor while assisting at the International Center as part of the International Ambassador Program. “I like to stay busy,” he said. His time at Winthrop also has included three years on the track team running the 400 meters race with and without hurdles.
His presence in his classes and around the campus has enabled him to encourage other Winthrop students to learn about different cultures and to become global citizens. He also participated in the Model United Nations class at Winthrop, which brings together high school and college students to reenact the workings of the United Nations.
Leigh Poole, director of the International Center, said Vivanco’s curiosity about the world is limitless. “He is the type of Winthrop student who takes advantage of every single opportunity presented to him,” she said.
Vivanco’s best memories have been good discussions in his political science classes, track and field events, Welcome Week and Rock the Hill activities.
His Winthrop experience has been very fulfilling, partly because he feels very connected. “Everywhere I go on campus, I find people who have been in my classes or other places,” Vivanco said. “People are so polite all the time.”
Once he graduates, he anticipates going to graduate school to major in public affairs or international relations so he can obtain the tools to better address global issues such as international conflicts, climate change and other pressing matters. His goal is to become a career diplomat in international communications for his country, either in the Americas or in Europe.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu or at 803/323-2404.
