2009 Boren Scholarship Recipients (Undergraduate)
Brandon Miliate – Major: International Relations, Minor: Gender Studies; Country of Study: Mongolia
2009 Boren Fellowship Recipients (Graduate)
Roozbeh B. Baker – USC Program: Ph.D. Political Science/International Relations; Countries of Study: Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia
2009 Critical Language Scholarship Recipients
Terah De Jong studied Urdu in Lucknow, India.
Lorena Sanchez studied Turkish in Izmir, Turkey.
2009 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Grant Recipients
Jeanette Acosta received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Psychology. She will spend a year Mexico examining how student scholarships influence their decision to pursue education or migration. She is particularly interested in exploring the attitudes and behaviors of students towards continuing their education, employment and migration in Zacatecas, Mexico.
Monica Bennett will complete her Master of Arts in Teaching program with the Bilingual, Cross Cultural, Language and Academic Development Credential. She will spend a year as an English Teaching Assistant in Spain. Monica plans to conduct a comparative study of her Spanish host students and her current students in Los Angeles. She will explore dialectical and socio-cultural specifics while obtaining a greater understanding of teaching strategies in Spain.
Poonum Dhokia will complete her Master of Public Health in Biostatistics & Epidemiology this summer. She will spend a year in India examining how attitudes and beliefs impact Indian parents to detect autism in their children. She plans to use her findings to develop a pamphlet that can be distributed to the public to combat the late detection rate of autism in India.
Vanessa Hongsathavij will receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies and Ethnicity, East Asian Area Studies, and Political Science with a minor in Southeast Asia and Its People. She will spend a year in Laos studying how the organization the International Union for Conservation of Nature addresses the interests of three ethnic groups – the Lao, Yoane, and Brao. Vanessa is specifically interested in how the organization incorporates the three ethnic groups into its development plan as part of the Biodiversity Conservation Corridors Initiative.
Brian Jacobson. A doctoral student in Critical Studies, Brian will spend a year in France examining French film studios and how they contributed to the development of early cinematic form, content, and industrial practice. Specifically, Brian will explore how the film studios influenced the architectural and technological environment of Paris and Los Angeles.
Chelsea Laun will receive a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communication. A recipient of a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant to Thailand, Chelsea will pursue opportunities to become involved in volunteer organizations in addition to teaching English during her Fulbright year. Chelsea plans to focus her volunteer work on the Burmese refugee crisis in Thailand, and examine how urban and rural settings impact their ability to resettle.
Patrick Murray will receive a Bachelor of Music in Performance with an emphasis in Vocal Arts. He has been awarded a Fulbright grant to spend a year in Vienna, Austria exploring the lieder of Schubert in which Schubert combines the use of different voices to create his pieces. Patrick is particularly interested in how the lieder of Schubert allow the singer to dramatize, as opposed to other genres of music.
Emily Ventura will receive her Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine. She will spend a year in Italy studying at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Colorno. Emily plans to examine the protective health effects of gastronomy and nutrition science in Italy, in order to understand how chronic diseases can be prevented in both American and Italian youth. She is mainly interested in the Slow Food Movement which strives to preserve local food traditions and advance an ethic of “good, clean, and fair” food for all.
2009 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Recipients
Mary Caitlin Duncan – B.A. in International Relations, December 2008; Country of Study: Hungary