Erin Waters '01, a summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hamilton College, has been awarded a Fulbright Grant to Russia. Her project is titled "Yaroslavskiie Babushki: Portraits from Today's Russia." Waters intends to do a study of babushki (grandmothers) in the Russian city of Yaroslavl. She will interview the women to record their life stories and ascertain their personal concept of what a babushka is in the 21st century. She will also photograph the women so that together, the interviews and photographs will form concepts of Russian women who have made the passage from the Soviet system to democracy. Waters is currently working for The Russia Journal, a newspaper in Washington, D.C.
The purpose of the Fulbright grants is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. The grants are funded through an annual appropriation made by Congress to the U.S. Department of State and by foreign governments, universities, corporations and private donors. The J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board, composed of 12 educational and public leaders appointed by the president of the United States, establishes criteria for selecting candidates and has the final authority for awarding the grants.
