Mackenzie J. Lowry ’11 and Merritt A. Moore ’11 were featured in Glamour Magazine as the “Top 10 College Women of 2010.”

Lowry, who told Glamour she wants to be “a policy adviser to the President on health care,” earned the title “The Politician” in the magazine, while Moore was named “The Renaissance Woman” for her dream of being the “best dancer [she] can be—and become an adviser for nuclear weapon nonproliferation.”

The Politician

Lowry, a Dunster House resident, said she first heard about the annual competition in middle school. She still remembers flipping through the magazine and admiring the women who were profiled.

Lowry said the most valuable part about winning the competition was being able to express her cause at a national level. Having lost her father to lung cancer as a teenager, Lowry worked with local anti-tobacco advocates and pushed for a cigarette tax increase law in her home state of Iowa.

The Renaissance Woman

Moore has two passions that, at first, seem remarkably divergent: ballet and physics.

Growing up, Moore said she was repeatedly told that she couldn’t pursue both and that she had to choose between the two.

“But you don’t have to sacrifice,” Moore said in an interview. “Opposite dreams complement each other really well.”

Moore’s mentor and dance teacher in Los Angeles encouraged her to apply for the competition, she said. Currently on a leave of absence to dance professionally with Boston Ballet, Moore said she wants to eventually earn a Ph.D. in physics, in addition to dancing professionally.

The Competition

Glamour’s competition showcases female college students for their academic excellence and unique achievements.

Next year’s winners will be profiled in the magazine and receive a three-night trip to New York City. If you’re a junior and interested in being among the next top college women, download the application package here and send it in by Dec. 1.