“Is purpose the most desirable of virtues?” asks Camila Eljuri ’27. Politics would certainly benefit from an answer to this question, she asserts.
Eljuri’s exploration of this topic in a written essay helped secure the government major a prestigious summer fellowship with the Hertog Foundation.
The foundation is an educational nonprofit that, according to its website, “offers several highly competitive and selective educational programs for outstanding individuals who seek to influence the intellectual, civic, and political life of the United States.”
Eljuri will be pursuing a fellowship in political studies, one of several programs offered by the foundation over the summer—the others are in constitutional studies, in war and security studies, and in the humanities.
She is one of thirty-two political studies fellows who will spend six weeks in Washington, DC, studying the theory and practice of politics. Faculty and speakers on the program include academics, lawmakers, journalists, and policy advisers.
This year, over 800 individuals applied for a Hertog Summer Fellowship, of whom ninety-seven were selected across the various programs, representing sixty-eight colleges and universities.
Eljuri, who is originally from Ecuador, speaks Spanish and Italian, as well as English, and also began studying a fourth language (French) in the spring semester. On her application essay, she stressed how different languages provide unmatchable insight into “what binds another culture.” Eljuri said her knowledge of different languages has enabled her to discover “drastically different modes of reasoning.” Her longer-term goals, she wrote, include doing translation work and practicing law.
The fellowship will involve six one-week courses and will include classes looking at American political thought, public policy, and the pursuit of power.
Eljuri credits her passion for political theory to Barry N. Wish Professor of Government and Social Studies Paul Franco and the classes she has been taking with him over the last two semesters.
“I've found a lot of joy in the conversations I've had in his classes, and I am very excited to continue studying some questions and thinkers he's introduced me to further over the summer,” said Eljuri.
“I'm also enthusiastic about visiting DC for the first time, alongside a cohort of people passionate about conversation and analysis of the foundations of policy,” she added.
“Camila is a serious student of political philosophy,” commented Franco. “In her courses on politics and culture and Nietzsche, she displayed a passion for philosophical questioning, analytical rigor, and boundless intellectual curiosity.”
