2017-2018 Recipients

A government major and English minor, Kate first developed her passion for teaching through her work mentoring and teaching students in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. At Bowdoin, Kate co-led the Fostering Female Leadership in Youth (FFLY) program and was an active leader and instructor in the Outing Club, and she is excited to continue her outdoor adventures with students while living in the Austrian Alps. In Austria, Kate will work at both a high school and vocational school in Bregenz where she looks forward to learning more about Austria's diverse education system and fostering her teaching skills.

Sydney, a double major in English and philosophy, was one of eighteen students selected nationwide to receive the Beinecke Scholarship, which will award $34,000 towards his graduate education. He is currently preparing for his honors project which will analyze violence and victim-spectator relationships, as represented in Vietnam War literatures. After graduation, he hopes to teach English in Vietnam before pursuing a Ph.D. in literature.

Early in the fall of 2018, Joe will travel to Morocco on a Boren Scholarship to intensively study Arabic at the Middlebury Language School in Rabat. Joe began studying Arabic at Bowdoin and hopes to continue building both his language skills and knowledge of North Africa's cultural and political climate while abroad. A math major and history minor, Joe is interested in computational approaches to modeling social systems. In his future career, Joe plans to combine his passion for language and data to help build better models for international humanitarian response by drawing on the recent experiences of regions like North Africa.

With support from her Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), Sarah will travel to Tangier, Morocco over the summer to intensively study Arabic. This is the second CLS and the fourth State Department Scholarship she has received. She was awarded a CLS to study Persian in Tajikistan last summer, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship to study in Germany for a year, and a National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship to study Tajiki in Tajikistan. She also studied German and Farsi during a gap year in Vienna. In the future, Sarah hopes to utilize her Arabic as she works on developing U.S. economic interests in the Middle East. She is an economics and math double major and computer science minor.

For nine weeks over the summerof 2018, Ali will study Arabic in Ibri, Oman. After starting her Arabic studies during an academic year in Marrakesh, Morocco through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, she has been seeking opportunities to study and practice Arabic. Ali enjoys using Arabic to speak with friends in Morocco and in her tutoring at Portland Adult Education. She hopes her time in Oman will help her continue to connect Arabic with her other interests in language pedagogy, the cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, and issues of global development.

Following semesters studying abroad in Japan and Sri Lanka, Gerlin is excited to spend her summer in East Java to start her Bahasa Indonesia studies. An Asian studies major, she hopes to contextualize Northeast Asia's political and social role throughout the continent by exploring the intricate and loaded issue of development assistance as well as connecting with Indonesia through food and cooking. Gerlin also looks forward to engaging with locals through storytelling and photography. She is taking another step in her pursuit to become a polyglot, so in the future, she can better communicate with more people in the world.

Over the summer of 2018, Liam will head for Meknes, Morocco where he will study the Arabic language. Through study at Bowdoin, a summer working for a refugee center in Jordan, and study abroad at Middlebury in Jordan, Liam has found endless value to learning Arabic as a way to break stereotypes and unlock opportunities to interact with new people. Liam intends to use Arabic in a future career moderating international healthcare interventions in emergency or crisis settings. While at Bowdoin, Liam was involved in the track and field team, student government, and the McKeen Center. Liam is a government and legal studies major from Connecticut.

A physics and mathematics double major with a minor in German, Killian will be conducting experimental physics research this summer at the University of Göttingen.  There, he will be collaborating with a PhD student to study the dynamical response of electron spins in magnetic materials to external stimulus. Alongside his research, Killian is excited to engage with German culture and immerse himself in the German language.

A biochemistry and German double major, Owen will receive a RISE Germany (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) scholarship from the German government this summer. With his award, Owen will travel to Hamburg, Germany to research the organic synthesis of photoreactive ligands at the University of Hamburg's state of the art DESY facility. After taking an introductory course in German, Owen was inspired to pursue a major and learn more about the German history, culture, and language. After his internship, Owen will spend the Fall semester abroad in Freiburg am Briesgau, Germany. Owen hopes to pursue a PhD in chemical biology after graduation

At Bowdoin, Peter majored in mathematics, completed the pre-medical track, was a four-year member of the men's hockey team, and a two-year member of the men's lacrosse team. He developed an interest in teaching and working with children while volunteering at the HBS Elementary School in Brunswick, as well as through his summers spent as a cabin leader at YMCA Camp Belknap. Peter will spend next year teaching English to high school students in Indonesia before returning to hopefully attend medical school. In Indonesia, he plans to immerse himself in the community by engaging in volunteer opportunities and planning after school activities for his students.  

Graduating from Bowdoin in 2018 with an Asian studies major, Daniel received a Fulbright grant to work as an English teaching assistant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. His experience participating in both the U.S. State Department's Critical Language Scholarship program in China and a study abroad program in Yunnan have strengthened his cultural awareness and linguistic skills in Mandarin Chinese, which, along with his past experience as an English teaching assistant in Honduras, will prepare him to be an engaging and dedicated assistant in the classroom. Daniel also hopes to be involved with farming groups in his community and learn about the immigrant community in Taiwan. 

As a sociology and mathematics major, Julia studied how individual's identities inform classroom dynamics. During her semester abroad in Kathmandu, Julia was introduced to the complexities of Nepali identity politics. Julia is particularly invested in deepening her connection to Nepali feminism and how it intersects with ethnicity and religion. In addition to teaching English, she looks to start an all-girls after-school club, where she will have the opportunity to foster female leadership in the community through playing pick-up sports, cooking, and preparing for holidays. After Fulbright, Julia plans to pursue a career that addresses educational inequity in America.

At Bowdoin, Lillian majored in government and legal studies with a focus on comparative politics and minored in anthropology. Lillian focused her studies -- especially during her semester abroad in Sri Lanka and as a teacher in Villa el Salvador, Peru -- on communities experiencing social and cultural crises of division. As an English teaching assistant in Madrid, Spain, she is excited to teach in a secondary school while also being involved with the Global Classrooms program. Originally from Chicago, she is also looking forward to experiencing Madrid, another metropolitan city, and is eager to spend time volunteering with an organization dedicated to community health and development.

Nicole graduated from Bowdoin in 2018 with a major in government and legal studies concentrating in political theory. After spending the spring semester of her junior year in East Africa, Nicole became passionate about working in rural communities in the developing world, learning languages, and forging lasting relationships within small communities abroad. In January 2019 she will be going to Malaysia as an ETA for Fulbright and hopes to learn some Malay. When she returns to the US, she intends to work in development and fundraising for cultural institutions or higher education in order to promote the common good. In her spare time, she contemplates what it means to live the good life.

Kim graduated in 2016  with a coordinate major in classics and education. At Bowdoin, Kim served as a tutoring coordinator for America Reads and Counts, a teaching and research assistant for the Classics Department, and a co-leader for the Women of Color Coalition. Kim will spend the 2018-2019 academic year teaching English to university students in Colombia. A future Latin teacher, she hopes to utilize her experiences to develop pedagogical strategies for teaching Latin to native Spanish speakers. Outside of the classroom, she looks forward to joining a women's rugby club, meeting locals at skateparks, and participating in Colombia's thriving cycling culture. 

Ben is an education-history coordinate major, with a psychology minor. After discovering a passion for teaching as well as Chinese and Japanese history, Ben is eager to teach in Asia. Ben hopes to hone his skills as a teacher and discover new pedagogical techniques that are used in Taiwan's education system, while also learning about Taiwanese history and culture. Upon his return from Taiwan, Ben hopes to apply all he has learned about education as well as Taiwanese history and culture as a history teach in the U.S. educational system.

Jake graduated from Bowdoin with degrees in physics and German.  After starting German at the beginner level in his first semester at Bowdoin, Jake developed a close connection with the department as well as the language and spent the spring of his junior year studying in Munich.  During the 2018-2019 academic year, Jake will teach English in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein and hopes to engage students in outdoor leadership opportunities outside of the classroom.  Upon returning the U.S., Jake hopes his improved teaching skills will be a valuable asset in his pursuit of a career in physics education.

Sabina, who completed a senior thesis using computational methods to analyze the language used in German newspapers to reference migrant populations,  graduated with a degree in German as well as computer science and mathematics. Sabina will spend the 2018-2019 academic year teaching English in Germany as a Fulbright English teaching assistant. After previously participating in a monthlong exchange in Baden-Wurttemberg, spending a semester abroad in Berlin, Germany, and working as a teaching assistant for the German Department, Sabina has cultivated a deep interest in German language and culture. Upon returning to the U.S., Sabina hopes to pursue a graduate degree in data science.

In addition to being an environmental studies and earth and oceanographic science coordinate major, John pursued a minor in German, investing four years in the study of German language and culture. After spending a semester abroad in Freiburg, he is excited to return to Germany as an English teaching assistant where he will combine his love of German with his experience working with children at the Bowdoin Day Camp. John was a member of the Bowdoin track team as wellas the radio station, WBOR, and plans on attending graduate school after returning to the US. 

A history and German double major, Ellice will spend the 2018-2019 academic year in Germany as a Fulbright English teaching assistant. Her passion for teaching stems from her time counseling at Girl Scout camp, tutoring, and mentoring high school girls. She spent the fall of her junior year studying in Austria, traveling solo, and engaging with the German language and cultures on her own terms. Throughout her time at Bowdoin and on staff at the Bowdoin Orient, Ellice developed a passionate curiosity for connection to place. She hopes to bring creative nonfiction into her classroom through a project exploring Heimat, the German idea of home.

Jude  pursued coordinate major in education and English and will graduate with her teaching certificate through the Bowdoin Teacher Scholars Program. While at Bowdoin, she worked as a writing assistant as well as a student director for the Center for Sexuality, Women and Gender, and studied abroad in Chile. She looks forward to bringing her teaching skills and passion for educational equity to her work as a teaching assistant in Mexico. 

Kiki was a government major and education minor. During her undergraduate career, she interned for two summers in Jerusalem and studied abroad in Morocco and found that these international experiences influenced the way she understood what education could be in the United States. Upon graduating Bowdoin, Kiki received a fellowship and pursued a master's degree in teaching at Smith College.  It was there, specifically during  her full-time teaching practicum, that she first began to challenge the borders of traditional American education. As an ETA in Indonesia, she will continue to think about ways in which education in the United States can be reimagined.    

After graduating from Bowdoin with degrees in mathematics and physics, Carina will serve as a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Malaysia. She plans to leverage her experience as a math tutor in her ETA role, with an eye to helping students discover the fun of learning new things. In her free time, she enjoys exploring nature in as many ways possible, including jumping in the ocean with friends and running a math club at the local elementary school, all things she hopes to continue while in Malaysia. 

Dia graduated from Bowdoin  with a double major in neuroscience and sociology. She has worked at a camp for children with disabilities since high school and is excited to be an English teaching assistant in Taiwan to further her interests in education. Dia has participated in various Alternative Break trips through the McKeen Center and led the Guatemala trip to Safe Passage this past year. Through various extracurricular, educational and personal experiences, Dia is looking forward to pursuing her passions in Taiwan and building long-lasting relationships.

As a double major in Earth & oceanographic science and Hispanic studies, Phoebe was thrilled to be placed as a Teaching Assistant in Spain's Canary Islands for the upcoming academic year. She discovered her love of teaching while giving oceanography demonstrations to local elementary students through her work with the Coalition for Expanding the Reach of Earth Science, and is excited to expand to other subjects during the Fulbright grant period. During her junior year, Phoebe studied abroad in Panama, and is looking forward to learning about the unique culture (and geology) of the Canaries. Upon return to the US, she plans to pursue a career in science communication and/or education.

At Bowdoin, Genevieve studied zebrafish tooth development and gained fluency in Spanish as she pursued a major in biology and a minor in Hispanic studies. After her semester abroad in Chile, she received the Latin American Studies Research Award to investigate the role of Chilean opposition in the country's transition to democracy. A recipient of a Fulbright study/research grant to Chile, she is returning to Chile to study zebrafish olfactory development with Dr. Kathleen Whitlock at the University of Valparaiso. In addition to her time in Dr. Whitlock's lab, Genevieve looks forward to leading science workshops in public schools with the outreach program called Ciencia al Tiro (Science Immediately). 

A neuroscience major and history minor, Sara received a Fulbright Study/Research grant to spend a year at Biomedical Center Munich in Germany investigating the effect of microtubule stabilization on the structural remodeling of axons following spinal cord injury in mice. She looks forward to continuing to pursue her interest in neuronal plasticity and injury recovery, developed during her honors project, which focused on characterizing the expression of guidance molecules in high-plasticity areas of the cricket central nervous system before and after auditory system injury. A 2016-17 Beckman Scholar, Sara hopes to pursue graduate studies in molecular neuroscience in the future.

A chemistry major with a German minor, Ben is thrilled to combine these two areas next year through research on photovoltaic cells at Europe's largest solar research institute. He will spend ten months at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany, working in the Plasma Technology Group. This work builds on the experience Ben gained in plasma processing working at the Colorado School of Mines the summer before his senior year. After studying abroad in Germany and Austria his junior year, Ben knew that he wanted to return to Germany. As a an avid runner and lover of the outdoors, he hopes to enjoy the Black Forest and to connect with running clubs in Freiburg.

Ethan is graduating with a coordinate major in environmental studies and history and a minor in Japanese. He spent a summer in Japan taking intensive Japanese language courses and living with a host family. He also conducted research through a Bowdoin institutional fellowship grant in preparation for a capstone honors thesis in Japanese environmental history. He is excited to teach English in Japan and serve as a cross-cultural ambassador. Outside of the classroom, he hopes to engage in efforts to revitalize the local rural area through volunteer work. After his time with JET, Ethan plans to pursue graduate studies in history.

Brigitte graduated having pursued a religion major and a history minor. After spending summers working for global and local education nonprofits in California's Bay Area and teaching with Breakthrough Collaborative in Austin, TX, Brigitte has developed a love of teaching and working with students. Brigitte is excited to travel to Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program to assist in English language instruction. After studying Japanese history and religiosity at Bowdoin and completing an honors thesis on civil religion and the Japanese American incarceration, Brigitte is looking forward to the resources for research that will come with living in Japan.

Mollie majored in Spanish and neuroscience at Bowdoin, and was also a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Spain the year after graduating from Bowdoin. She is now pursuing an MD and PhD in developmental biology at Stanford School of Medicine, and she aspires to a career as a physician-scientist, practicing pediatric endocrinology and heading a laboratory.

Megan graduated Bowdoin in 2014 with a major in neuroscience and a minor in English, completing her thesis in the lab of Dr. Richmond Thompson. After graduating, she did a study/research Fulbright in Germany, staying on for an extra year in the lab of Prof. Dr. Aiden Haghikia before returning stateside. Megan is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience with a focus in neuroendocrinology in the lab of Dr. Stephanie Correa at UCLA.

Jake graduated in 2015 having pursued a major mathematics and a minor in English.  While at Bowdoin, he especially enjoyed analysis and statistics, as well as American and Irish literature. Since graduating, Jake has worked as a research assistant at Harvard Medical School, publishing a few articles on causal inference with observational data. He is excited to move to California where he will pursue a Ph.D. in statistics at UC Berkeley, using the funding granted to him by the National Science Foundation. He looks forward to hiking in the Marin headlands as well as developing tools for machine learning and causal inference in a Bayesian framework. 

Liam graduated from Bowdoin with a major in biology and a minor in computer science. His fieldwork includes two summers studying Leach's Storm-petrels at the Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island, a season studying Semipalmated Plovers at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in Churchill, Manitoba, and a season studying Golden-winged Manakins in the cloudforests of northwestern Ecuador. Starting the Fall of 2018, he will be beginning a Ph.D. program in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale. For his graduate work, Liam will study sexual selection theory and the behavioral ecology of diverse mate displays in birds (a.k.a., colorful birds dancing around on logs).

Jonah is thrilled to spend the next year in Lima, Peru working with Building Dignity, a non-profit that focuses on community education and development. As a Latin American studies major who spent a semester in Chile and conducted an honors thesis on the Chilean student movement, he is excited to learn about social justice and community organizing in Peru. In his time at Bowdoin, Jonah led Bowdoin Climate Action, interned with the Maine Mobile Health Program which provides mobile medical care to Maine's migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and participated in an ASB to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.

Mohamed is a government and Africana studies double major, particularly interested in the ways in which dialogue and direct engagement can be used to resolve conflict in global communities. Mohamed has interned for two members of Maine’s congressional delegation and various community organizations where he worked on issues related to foreign policy, immigration, education, and healthcare reform. On campus, he has held leadership positions in Bowdoin Student Government, the Multicultural Coalition, the Student Center for Multicultural Life, and Residential Life. Through these leadership roles, Mohamed aims to create an inclusive campus environment by creating spaces for engagement and dialogue. Mohamed’s long-term plan is to pursue a dual JD/MA in international conflict resolution and security policy.

Nevan is an aspiring photographer and filmmaker, who majored in visual arts and minored in government and legal studies. During his Watson year, he will travel to France, Hong Kong, Poland, and Tanzania. For his project, he will explore the tension and connection between documenting and experiencing.  Alongside embarking on subprojects particular to each country, Nevan will be creating documents in the form of photographs, videos, journal entries, and audio recordings.