Ben Fischer | Courtesy Office of Global Scholarships
International relations minor Ben Fischer is among the recipients of the 2025 Marshall Scholarship, a nationally competitive award that supports American students pursuing graduate degrees in any field and at any university in the United Kingdom.
The Marshall Scholarship was established in 1953 to strengthen the relationship between the British and American peoples, governments, and institutions. The award is named for former U.S. Secretary of State and Army Gen. George Marshall, who formulated the Marshall Plan to aid economic development in Western Europe after World War II.
Ben Fischer is from Livingston, Montana. He graduated Tau Beta Pi from Stanford in 2024 with a BS in product design and a minor in international relations. As a Marshall Scholar, he intends to research prosocial design within the field of digital humanities, specifically the link between social media features and civic behavior online.
Fischer said he is humbled and grateful to receive the Marshall Scholarship and credits the support of faculty, mentors, friends, and family.
“This achievement is thanks to them,” he said, adding that “the Marshall experience will be a launchpad for my dream to design digital platforms toward a safer, more prosocial internet. There is so much to research to explore and work to do. I can’t wait!”
At Stanford, Fischer conducted research on causes of and cures for social disconnect. He built Lighthouse, a company that brought connection to thousands of users worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also co-founded Tree Tutors, a remote-only peer-tutoring network addressing the education gap that resulted from the pandemic. He was captain of Stanford’s Mock Trial team, co-instructed design courses, taught public speaking to third graders, and acted in plays. He hopes his graduate studies will support his goal of building platforms that foster healthier lives online.