Student Fellowship Winners: 2003

Hamilton College students compete favorably for some of the nation's most prestigious and competitive national fellowships and scholarships. Here's a summary of the awards received this year, including Hamilton's own very generous Bristol Fellowship.

William M. Bristol, Jr. Fellowship
Alison Lin '03, Westerville, Ohio

The Bristol Fellowship was begun in 1996 as part of a gift to Hamilton College by William M. Bristol, Jr., (Class of 1917). The purpose of the fellowship is to perpetuate Mr. Bristol's spirit and share it with students of the college that was such an important part of this life. Created by his family, the fellowship is designed to encourage Hamilton students to experience the richness of the world by living outside the United States for one year and studying an area of great personal interest.

Lin's project is titled "Grassroots Literacy for Women's Empowerment: Senegal, Haiti, Vanuatu, Cameroon, and Martinique." She will study grassroots literacy organizations in order to gain insight into how their projects empower women from Third World countries.  Lin will examine literacy programs within those countries, analyzing the organizations, working with program participants and living within the communities to better understand the role of women.

Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
Huy Huynh '03 - Endicott, NY

The Watson Foundation selects and provides funds for graduating seniors from America's leading liberal arts institutions to embark on a year of self-directed, independent study while traveling outside the United States.

Huynh's project is titled "Acculturation in a New Nation: The Vietnamese Refugees." He says, "Over two million Vietnamese have fled their homelands and have resettled all over the world -- they did not want to move to a foreign land but millions left in fear for their lives or to search for a better life." Huynh will carry out a comparative study of the acculturation, or cultural modification, of Vietnamese refugees in five different countries: Thailand, Russia, Germany, France and the Philippines. He plans to research the opposition to having Vietnamese refugees in each country, investigate different integration processes and the factors that influence them.

Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
Chris LaRosa '03 - Winsted, Conn.

The Watson Foundation selects and provides funds for graduating seniors from America's leading liberal arts institutions to embark on a year of self-directed, independent study while traveling outside the United States.

Chris LaRosa's project is titled "Shaping Media: Evolution Through Communication Technology: Tanzania, Uganda, Mexico, Slovenia and Finland." He says "The availability of communication technology has the potential to shape the way we live, create educational opportunities and improve our quality of life. From the mechanics of reporting to the means of delivery, the computers, Internet and software which are the building blocks of new media are changing the way we consume and define our media. I will examine the ways that technology is making what once constituted traditional print journalism more dynamic and accessible."

J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship
Jessie McComb '03, Leominster, Mass. - Fulbright Grant to India
Sarah Taylor '03, New Hartford, Conn. - Fulbright Grant to Spain
Abigail Zeidler '03, Haddam, Conn. - Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in South Korea

The Fulbright program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries through educational exchange.

McComb's project - "Sustainable Energy and Traditional Arts: Changing Functionality of Traditional Culture" -- will examine the role of sustainable energy in rural electrification through an affiliation with the American non-government organization, Greenstar, Inc.

Taylor's project is titled "Theoretical Studies on Pharmacologically Important Proteins." Taylor has been invited to join in a research group at the University of Barcelona with Professor Modesto Orozco, a prominent theoretical biochemist. She will study an enzyme that is thought to contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

Zeidler was awarded a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship. She will teach English as a foreign language in South Korea.

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Shayna McHugh '05, Bethel, Conn.

The Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater is the premier national undergraduate award in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

McHugh, a chemistry major at Hamilton, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry, then become a medical research scientist focusing on the discovery and development of new drugs and medicines. The Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program honoring Senator Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields.

Fellowship Winners: