Leah Rankin, a graduate student in the Goldring Arts Journalism program in Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, has been named the Donald Vinik Fellow for 2010-2011. The fellowship, which includes a $10,000 tuition stipend, was made possible through the generosity of businessman Donald Vinik.
“Leah is the ideal recipient for this fellowship,” says Goldring director Johanna Keller. “She has an enormous amount of talent and dedication to the field of classical and world music. We expect great things from her in the future.”
Rankin earned bachelor’s degrees in music and English with a certificate in ethnomusicology from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. She studied cello with string chair Alan Harris for three years, toured to Chile as principal cellist of the University of Rochester Chamber Orchestra and won the 2009-2010 University of Rochester Concerto Competition.
A native of Buffalo, Rankin is an Irish dancer and toured Ireland with the Rochester chapter of Comhaltas.
