Student Fellows and Scholars
by Alicia Wright '10For many Hamilton students, academic courses do not complete the learning experience. Inspired by the dedication of professors to their respective fields of study, Hamilton students often seek fellowships and scholarships to pursue further studies after college or during summer break. Several students have received funds with the Bristol Fellowship, Watson fellowships, and many other scholarships to conduct research projects throughout the next few months.
Recipient of the prestigious Bristol Fellowship and biochemistry major Ngoda Manongi '08 plans to study maternal mortality and child health care in several different regions of the world. "I am interested in Women's Health especially pre-natal and post-natal care because it has been ignored for sometime" Manongi said. Manongi will focus in Sweden, the Philippines, Mexico, and South Africa to study the "dynamics of pregnant women and children's lives through conditions of basic health care practices." Manongi will look at access to clinical care versus home care and social attitudes towards programs for pregnant women in these communities. Also, part of Manongi's project will involve educating women on protecting themselves from unwanted pregnancies. Manongi's research experience in computational chemistry and biochemistry has prepared him to conduct this study.
Jen Kleindienst '09, a public policy major and environmental studies minor, received a Udall Scholarship. This award is given to students committed to studying the environment in their future careers. Through this scholarship program, Kleindienst said that she would like to meet other students and alumni with the Udall Scholarship focused on environmental opportunities.
Recipient of the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR)/Mellon Fellowship, Chris Bouton '09 will spend his summer with nine other SHEAR/Mellon fellows in Philadelphia. For three weeks he will research at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. This work will apply to his senior thesis to be completed next year. Urged by Associate Professor of History Douglas Ambrose, Bouton found the SHEAR/Mellon program to be the most suitable fellowship program to continue the work that he began with a Bristol scholarship last summer. Bouton said that he feels prepared to undertake this extensive research. "My coursework at Hamilton has provided me with the knowledge and experience I need to make the most of my time at the McNeil Center," Bouton commented. "If I had not taken courses related to the history of early America I do not think I would be prepared to attend the program."
With a $10,000 grant through the Davis Project for Peace program, Fallon Chipidza '10 will work in a Zimbabwean preschool to develop a self-sustainable chicken project. The income generated from this project will fund the children's future educations. A biochemistry and economics concentrator, Chipidza said that she was inspired to develop this project because of her "passion to empower women and children with education and skills for survival."
Maningi, Kleindienst, Bouton, and Chipidza are not the only students planning to research this summer. Kateri Whitebean '08 will head to South Korea with her Fulbright scholarship to teach English. Mark Reichenbach '09, having spent the fall semester 2007 with the Associated Colleges in China program in Beijing, is currently studying at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He will continue his education in Tokyo this summer with the Freeman-Asia Award, which is given to undergraduate students pursuing studies in East or Southeast Asia.
Through all of these fellowship and scholarship programs, Hamilton students continue to prove their commitment to pursuing educational opportunities beyond the Hill.