Pitzer College has been a leading liberal arts institution in the number of fellowships awarded to its students and faculty. The Pitzer community recognizes and congratulates the following students on their recently received awards and fellowships! Read on to discover what our award and fellowship winners will be doing in the months ahead. For more information about fellowship opportunities at Pitzer, visit the Office of Fellowships & Scholarships online at: https://www.pitzer.edu/fellowships/
Brendan Schultz ’19, a politics, philosophy and sociology major, was awarded an Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminar (TIES) grant sponsored by the US Department of State. Brendan spent his senior year of high school in Macedonia in a program that was also sponsored by the State Department, which made him eligible for this award. Last year, he was awarded a Davis Projects for Peace prize to organize a summer youth conference in Macedonia. In February, Brendan returned to Macedonia and worked with other TIES alumni on a project that focused on building resilient communities through religious and ethnic diversity.
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. Adriana Ceron ’18, a sociology major and Chicano/a Latino/a studies minor, has been invited to participate in the American Educational Research Association’s workshop in April in New York City. She was selected on the basis of her strong academic performance, research skills and experience as well as for her potential to contribute to the education research field. The workshop will provide an overview of how education research is designed across disciplines and how research is applied to education policy and practice. Adriana has been a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow since her sophomore year at Pitzer.
The American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) is a leading provider of supply chain, logistics and operations management research, publications, and education and certification programs. Peter Leung ’19, a management engineering major and economics minor, and three Harvey Mudd College students won top honors at the regional student case competition held by APICS, the national professional association for supply chain management. The student group will head to Chicago in September to compete in the final round, to be held during the annual APICS conference. The regional competition was sponsored by APICS and Deloitte Consulting.
The CLS program is a fully-funded summer language and cultural immersion program that aims to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Molly Armentrout ’19, an international and intercultural studies and Middle Eastern North African Studies major, has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in Amman, Jordan, this summer. In the future, she hopes to use Arabic to work with refugee settlement programs to help families navigate the public school system. This award is highly competitive, particularly for the Arabic or Chinese languages. After Pitzer, Molly plans to pursue a Fulbright or enter graduate school.
The Projects for Peace program is an invitation to undergraduates at American colleges and universities in the Davis United World College Scholars Program to design grassroots projects that they will implement during the summer. The projects judged to be the most promising and feasible will be funded at $10,000 each. The objective is to encourage and support today’s motivated youth to create and try out new ideas for building peace around the world. Genevieve “Genna” Kules ’18, a media studies major with a focus on participatory media in Native American and Indigenous/First Nations communities, has been awarded $10,000 by Davis Projects for Peace for her project, “Visalia Youth Peace Garden: Promoting Intercultural Understanding, Participatory Media, and Connecting with the Land.” She will partner with the Wukchumni Tribe in Visalia, CA, to create a space for cultural practice, learning and reconnecting with the land. During a week-long day camp, work will begin on the peace garden and young people will learn about video production so they can share their stories, document their lives and gain media literacy skills. Isaiah Kramer ’20, an energy and water management major, has been selected as the alternate/runner-up for the Davis Projects for Peace award. For his project, Isaiah proposed installing renewable energy systems for more than a dozen families in a PalestinianBedouin community in the West Bank. This renewable source of energy would allow the communities to remain on their land and move toward peaceable development in the region.
David and Marvalee Wake Award Madison Sage Wiltse ’18, a human biology major, has been selected for the David and Marvalee Wake Award for Best Poster Presentation at the 2018 Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology meeting. Madison presented her undergraduate thesis research that explores the evolution of visual acuity in coral reef fishes. Following graduation, she plans to pursue a nurse practitioner degree.
The Doris Duke Conservation Scholars are a diverse, committed and creative community of young professionals from around the country who aim to change the face, practice and future of conservation. Victoria Ramirez ’20, an environmental analysis major, has been awarded a Doris Duke Conservation Scholars fellowship, which exposes early career college students to the field of environmental conservation through field research, leadership and professional training. Over the next two summers, Victoria will partner with the University of California, Santa Cruz, to conduct collaborative research and gain leadership skills; the program culminates in an eight-week conservation practice internship during the second summer. Her future plans include attending law school. Sam Sjoberg ’20, an environmental analysis major, is the recipient of a Doris Duke Conservation Scholars fellowship. Over the next two summers, he will partner with Northern Arizona University and its Landscape Conservation Initiative in collaboration with Conservation Science Partners and the Grand Canyon Trust. The experiences the
scholars receive serve to ensure that the conservation field is holistic, relevant and just.
EnviroLab Asia focuses on understanding environmental issues in East and Southeast Asia, and works to engage communities and explore what comes out of the intellectual exchange between the humanities and social sciences, environmental analysis, and various other fields to generate new scholarship about environmental issues in Asia. Madeline Nelson ’19, an environmental analysis major, has been awarded an EnviroLab Asia student fellowship. EnviroLab Asia is a laboratory for cross-disciplinary research and experiential learning that links knowledge with practice. Their focus is to engage communities and explore what comes out of the intellectual exchange between the humanities and social sciences, environmental analysis and various other fields to generate new scholarship about environmental issues in Asia. The Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment Program focuses on East and Southeast Asia.
Oluwaseun Oshodi ’20, an international economics & modern Japanese double major, has received a Freeman-ASIA award to participate in the Hokkaido International Foundation Japanese Language and Culture Program this summer in Japan. The Freeman Foundation's major objectives include strengthening the bonds of friendship between the United States and countries of East Asia.
The Fulbright programs sponsors U.S. and foreign participants for exchanges in all areas of endeavor, including the sciences, business, academe, public service, government and the arts, and continues to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Wyatt Barnes ’18, a linguistics and Mideast & North African studies double major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Morocco where he will conduct research on the motivations for code-switching among Arabic-Spanish bilinguals. He intends to utilize an ethnographic sociolinguistic lens to analyze the social motivations behind this code-switching in Tangier. This research will allow him to interact extensively with the local community. His future plans include enrolling in a PhD program in linguistics with a focus on sociolinguistics. In addition, Wyatt intends to continue working with refugee populations. Emily Dillemuth ’18, a political studies major and Chinese minor, has been granted a Fulbright to Taiwan, where she will teach English. She hopes to draw upon her teaching experiences when she lived in mainland China. For her community service project in Taiwan, Emily plans to engage with the host community to encourage intercultural understanding between East and West. Her professional goals include becoming a diplomat with the US Foreign Service. Elizabeth “Ellie” Ellis ’18, a geology major and environmental analysis minor, has been awarded a research Fulbright to India, where she proposed to investigate the impacts of recent agricultural and economic developments on soil health and landholding in Madhya Pradesh, India. Her future plans include pursuing a doctorate in soil science research to continue protecting soils and agricultural environments around the globe.
Sasha Forbath ’18, an organizational studies major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Indonesia to teach English. She will use her intercultural awareness and previous teaching experiences to foster an accessible and inclusive classroom. Using her theatre production skills, Sasha plans to incorporate both Indonesian and American folktales to create a production that showcases both cultures. Future plans include working with an educational or social justice nonprofit, while applying to graduate school to obtain a degree in social work. Peter Hansen ’18, an international relations major, is the recipient of a Fulbright to Malaysia where he plans to teach English by implementing culturally relevant activities both inside and outside the classroom. He plans to engage the community through teaching swimming and water safety. In addition, he would like to engage the community in the sport of basketball to promote teamwork and unity. Upon return to the US, Peter plans to either seek a job as a secondary teacher at an international school or pursue working for the US State Department as a foreign service officer. Eleanor Neal ’18, a human biology major, has been awarded a Fulbright to Mexico. She plans teach English in by using a culturally relevant pedagogy and integrated, STEM-based curriculum to enhance language acquisition. Eleanor will partner with Casa del Migrante and other NGOs to promote healthcare among migrant and refugee populations. Her future plans are to attend medical school and eventually work as a health educator among Mexican immigrants and Spanish monolingual communities in California. Ramiro Pinedo ’18, an environmental analysis major, has been awarded a Fulbright to conduct research in Brazil. He aims to unveil environmental values residents of Boa Vista hold to push sustainable action towards urban flooding through the use of surveys, interviews and observations. Ramiro’s community engagement activity will be to form a running club open to all community members and organize bi-monthly 5K races/walks to raise money toward improving parks and recreational areas. His future plans include pursuing a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of
Forestry & Environmental Studies, followed by a PhD in environmental science, policy and management from UC Berkeley. Anya Quig ’18, a Spanish and global health major, received a Fulbright to teach English in Mexico. She plans to instill passion for language learning through an internal locus of control approach, as well as her own experience as a language learner. Outside the classroom, Anya plans to work with a local community health organization to impart what she learned in Guatemala about indigenous medicine and culturally competent care. Her future plans are to pursue a master’s in public health then eventually work in Latin America. Uriel Rafael ’14, a human biology and psychology double major, has been awarded a mentor position with the Fulbright program for the upcoming school year in Mexico. He is currently finishing an ETA Fulbright in Mexico. Uriel will continue to volunteer as a mentor and work with Dream in Mexico, a nonprofit organization that helps deported individuals reunite with their families. He has plans to focus on consolidating existing resources, create a website and show teachers/students how to use it. Aria Tung ’18, a sociology major and media studies minor, is the recipient of a Fulbright to Taiwan, where she will be an English teaching assistant. Aria has had various teaching and mentoring opportunities, which have taught her the importance of creating an inclusive environment for students. Her host country engagement will involve sharing her skills in music and sports. She plans to enroll in law school after the Fulbright to study anti-discrimination law. Sachi Watase ’17, a studio art major and mathematics minor, has been awarded a Fulbright to teach English in Nepal. She plans to foster intercultural exchange through communicative language teaching and a culturally sensitive lens, thereby creating appropriate student-centered lessons. Outside the classroom, Sachi intends to lead activities that use creative outlets to enrich students’ English language skills. Future plans include earning a master’s degree and teaching credential, where she hopes to work in high-needs schools.
Oluwaseun Oshodi ’20, an international economics & modern Japanese double major, has been awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in Hakodate, Japan with the Hokkaido International Foundation this summer. Olu is designing an independent study that aims to enhance Japanese proficiency and autonomous learning skills by focusing on individual study objectives.
Brendan Schultz ’19, a politics, philosophy and sociology major, has been selected as a Fred J. Hansen Summer Institute fellow. The program brings together international and US students to build leadership skills and better cultural understanding to help form a more peaceful future. Fellows receive hands-on training in teambuilding, public speaking, negotiation, mediation and working together to solve international problems.
International Elections Observer Madeline Hausenstein’18, an international political economy/IIS double major and linguistic minor, was selected to be an international elections observer for the official elections observation mission 2017 presidential elections in Somaliland. She was the youngest member of the 60-person mission representing 27
countries on five continents. Madeline was also selected as one of the participants for the Alumni Thematic International Exchange Seminar to discuss and cover ways to increase accessibility in education domestically and abroad.
Isabel F. Smith and Donald H. Zenger Award Elizabeth “Ellie” Ellis ’18, a geology major and environmental analysis minor, was selected to receive Pomona College’s Isabel F. Smith and Donald H. Zenger Award for enthusiasm and dedication to the geologic sciences. Ellie’s future plans include pursuing a PhD in soil science in order to protect soils and agricultural environments around the globe.
Chava Friedman ’18, Noah Kline ’18 and Angelise Slifkin ’18 formed one of two teams that tied for first place in CMC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Lightning Challenge. The three Pitzer seniors had approximately 24 hours to develop, and then pitch, a business plan based on a Harvard Business School case study.
Aleo Pugh ’19 and Lena-Phuong Tran ’18 won the junior and senior prizes in the 5th annual Claremont Colleges Library Undergraduate Research Awards. The awards honor students who
demonstrate exemplary original research and scholarship, including remarkable skill and creativity in the use of library and information resources.
Kravis Concept Plan Competition Delshanee Martin ’21 won first place in the Kravis Concept Plan Competition, an annual contest for aspiring entrepreneurs sponsored by Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker School of Management. Delshanee, who founded the vegan cosmetics line Lábio Couture, took top honors for her proposed SKIN-spiration Truck, which would help “cultivate conscious consumers” through exposure to safe, environmentally friendly skincare products.
Anjuli Peters ’18, a sociology and legal studies double major, was awarded the Los Angeles County’s 36th Annual Volunteer of the Year Award for her work with the Pomona branch of the Los Angeles County Public Defender. Anjuli was also awarded Pitzer’s Kallick Community Service Award for completing 100+ hours of personal community service hours during the 2017-18 academic year. She currently volunteers with both the Los Angeles County Public Defender and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). At Pitzer, she works as a resident assistant and admission fellow. After graduation, Anjuli will pursue a master of science degree in criminology and criminal justice at Oxford University.
Hunter Sidel ’19, a history major, received a fully funded fellowship through The Leadership Alliance to conduct research at NYU on the colonial history of anti-sodomy laws in Africa. The Leadership Alliance prepares young scholars from underrepresented and underserved populations for graduate training in humanities research.
The fundamental objective of MMUF is to address, over time, the problem of underrepresentation in the academy at the level of college and university faculties. The MMUF program is designed to encourage fellows to enter PhD programs that prepare students for professional careers. Kendal Carr ’20, an African studies major, is the recipient of a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Her research will focus on how African studies as a discipline concentrates on current and past social movements and the effects these movements have had on people of African descent in America. By examining past and present social movements, Kendal’s goal is to produce a historical comparative analysis. Clara Fuget ’20, a Chicano/a Latino/a transnational studies and Spanish double major, has been awarded a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Her research will focus on Nicaraguan rural women and their long struggle for land reform. Through working as a student researcher with Coordinadora de Mujeres Rurales (Rural Women’s Coalition), Clara plans to investigate the coalition’s work and what women have done to gain the right to land and improve their living conditions.
Oluwakemi “Kemi” Richards ’20, a sociology major, is the recipient of a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Oluwakemi’s research is titled “Black Women at Predominantly White Institutions: Embracing Self-Identity and Navigating Social and Romantic Relations.” With an emphasis placed on the dynamics that exist among black women, their same-race male counterparts and white men, the study intends to provide a current analysis of the social issues black women encounter at predominantly white institutions.
Lily Gane ’20, an organismal biology major, has been awarded Keck Summer Research’s W.M. Keck Fund of $4000. Her research will focus on muscle physiology, specifically, on a protein called titin in order to determine its exact role in muscle movement. Lily will be working the first part of the summer with Dr. Jenna Monroy in the Keck labs, and for the remainder of the summer will be at NAU in their labs.
The Napier Awards for Creative Leadership recognizes students interested in exploring vocations for social change and work in social justice, environmental sustainability, and peacemaking. Olivia Cornfield ’18, a cognitive science major, has been named a 2018 Napier Fellow. Her proposed Napier project was to document
narratives of the personal and social changes for women emancipated from the Kamalari system of bonded labor in Nepal. After graduation, Olivia plans to pursue a PhD in neuroeconomics and continue her work with the Freed Kamalari Development Forum. Terriyonna Smith ’18, an African studies and English & world literature major, has been named a 2018 Napier Fellow. Her proposed project was to partner with Peoplestown Academy in inner-city Atlanta, where she would work with middle school students to facilitate their understanding of negotiating and navigating the world in careers, schools and other adult journeys. At Pitzer, she has served as a resident assistant, a research assistant and on the Executive Board of the Black Student Union. Sydney Warren ’18, an international political economy major and Chinese language and literature minor, has been named a 2018 Napier Fellow. Her project was to design and implement a summer Spanish language learning course for students, aged 3 to 11, from diverse backgrounds to engage and learn another language and culture. Her program would draw participants from low-income communities who have unequal access to quality education. Sydney’s future plans include attending law school and working for the State Department’s East Asian Legal Affairs Office.
The National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW) promotes the teaching of writing through collaborative learning. The NCPTW offers peer tutors the opportunity to contribute in professional and scholarly ways to the larger writing center community, and is dedicated to providing forums for tutors to share and present research at national and international conferences.
Sophia Rizzolo ’19, an international and intercultural studies major, was awarded the Burkean Parlor Grant by the NCPTW. The grant supports writing center tutors who are making significant contributions to the local, regional or (inter)national scholarly conversation about peer tutoring through their daily practices and reflections on that practice. Hunter Sidel ’19, a history major, was the recipient of a La Beca Grant awarded by the NCPTW. This grant supports tutors who are contributing in significant ways to writing center pedagogy and theory. The purpose of the grant is to facilitate the inclusion of a range of diverse voices and perspectives at the NCPTW conference.
The National Science Foundation’s mission is to advance the progress of science, a mission accomplished by funding proposals for research and education made by scientists, engineers and students. With an annual budget of $7.5 million, NSF is the funding source for approximately 24% of all federally-supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. Annie Schatz ’15, a biology major, received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to support her research in marine biology at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, where she is currently pursuing a PhD. Annie’s research focuses on how climate change-related stressors are impacting the physiological performance of the early life history stages of the eastern oyster. Specifically, this funding will support her research towards understanding how larval experience of environmental stressors impacts the success and performance of later life stages, a phenomenon called carry-over effects.
Sabrina Werby ’16, a chemistry major, was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to support her research in biophysical chemistry at Stanford University, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in chemistry. Sabrina’s interdisciplinary research lies directly at the interface of chemistry, biology and physics. She seeks to develop biophysical and biochemical tools to understand bacterial biofilms, which are instrumental in the proliferation of recurrent or antibiotic resistant infections. Sabrina would like to thank the amazing faculty at Keck and Pitzer College for their mentorship and guidance. As an NSF fellow, she hopes to serve as a mentor and encourage different perspectives and underrepresented voices in science.
Alison Rollman ’18, a sociology major, has been selected as a Food Justice Fellow with Repair the World in New York City. The Repair the World Fellowship is an 11-month opportunity for young adults who are excited about mobilizing the Jewish community toward meaningful volunteer projects, focusing specifically on issues of education and food justice. In addition to getting individuals to volunteer, Fellows facilitate service-learning to provide context around social issues and create meaningful, high-impact service programs and projects that address critical needs in the area.
The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States. Fellows conceive original projects, execute them outside of the United States for one year and embrace the ensuing journey. They decide where to go, who to meet and
when to change course. Elizabeth “Ellie” Ellis ’18, a geology major and environmental analysis minor, has been awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, a one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States. Her project, “The Cambrian Explosion: Synergy of Science and Art,” will take her to Canada, Switzerland, Australia, China and Morocco. Ellie will study many of the important fossil outcrops that record this exciting evolutionary event and explore innovative artistic methods of communicating scientific knowledge about the Cambrian Explosion to the public. Emelia von Saltza ’19, an economics major and environmental analysis minor, has been named an alternate for the Watson Fellowship. As part of her long-term commitment to more holistic forms of environmental economics, Emelia's project “Guardians of the Sea” would tap into the wisdom and experiences of women leaders at the forefront of environmental activist movements in Peru, Rapa Nui, Japan, Tonga, South Africa and Indonesia.
Yenching Scholarship Carlisle Micallef ’18, a Chinese language and literature major and history minor, has been awarded a highly competitive and prestigious Yenching Scholarship. The award is a fully funded, 12month, interdisciplinary master’s program in Chinese studies at the Yenching Academy of Peking University. The program aims to “cultivate leaders who will advocate for global progress and cultural understanding.” Carlisle’s master’s concentration will be philosophy and religion. She intends to research conceptions of Confucianism in the 21st century and the role cultural figures play in shaping popular opinion and ethics.