2021-2022 Recipients
We invite you to get to know Bowdoin’s 2021-2022 national fellowship recipients. Below you will find a brief profile of each awardee, organized by award type.
Austrian Government English Teaching Assistantship
As a Neuroscience major and German minor, Abby has fostered a passion for storytelling and translation. She has pursued these interests in many ways while at Bowdoin, most notably as a medical assistant at a local hospital, a teaching assistant in both STEM and German courses, and through her honors project. As a US Teaching Assistant Program in Austria, she will act as both an English Teaching Assistant and a cultural representative of the United States. As a pre-health student and avid singer, Abby also hopes to continue exploring healthcare as a public health volunteer and to engage with Austria's vibrant music community.
Beinecke Scholarship
A sociology major and gender, sexuality, and women's studies minor, Jeremiah is highly involved with Bowdoin. In addition to his extracurriculars, he currently holds 8 jobs across Residential Life, Admissions, Research and Analytics, and the Dean's Office. Jeremiah enjoys learning sociology and examining how quotidian systems interact with one's lived experience. Jeremiah hopes to carry sociology into his professional life by teaching others how to use sociological theories and concepts in their everyday life. As a Beinecke Scholar, Jeremiah was awarded $34,000 for graduate school; he plans to acquire a doctoral degree in sociology before pursuing employment in higher education.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship
Noal is an Environmental Studies and Government Major and a German Minor. As a CBYX Fellow, he will continue studying the German language before immersing himself in German society: he plans to study urban planning through classes at a German University and an internship with a local planning agency. After his year in Germany, he hopes to complete a master's degree in urban and regional planning and work at the municipal level as a planner. At Bowdoin, Noal is a member of the Crew Team and is active in McKeen Center Programs.
Critical Language Scholarship, Mandarin
Graduating as an Asian Studies and Economics double major, Amanda will continue her Chinese language studies this summer in Tainan, Taiwan at National Cheng Kung University. At Bowdoin, she served as a Chinese Language Learning Assistant, a fellow for the Common Good Grant Program at the McKeen Center for the Common Good, and a head proctor in the Office of Residential Life. In the Fall, Amanda looks forward to pursuing a Master’s in China Studies and International Politics through the Yenching Academy at Peking University, where she will research Chinese food security and sustainability.
Critical Language Scholarship, Arabic
A Neuroscience major and Arabic minor, Sara is enthusiastic about pursuing her passion for the Arabic language through her travel to Morocco this summer. She hopes to build her fluency in the Arabic language, broaden her understanding of the Arabic world through local cultural excursions, and widen her knowledge of the Arabic Language by learning Moroccan dialect. As an aspiring physician, Sara plans on utilizing the skills gained from this abroad experience along with Arabic, to forge relationships founded on trust between her patients and ultimately provide high quality care to marginalized groups.
Critical Language Scholarship, Russian
A Russian major, and Government & Legal Studies Minor, Colby has been fascinated by political resistance and artistic expression in the Russian context. On campus, he is a member of Bowdoin’s men’s rugby team as well as the school’s Eastern European club. Additionally, Colby helps mediate conflicts and leads conversation circles through Bowdoin’s Program for Non-violence and Conflict Resolution. He will travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to participate in two months of intensive Russian language study. Colby hopes to use the opportunity to further develop his own research on modern Russian cinema, and advance his career goals.
DAAD-RISE Scholarship
DAAD-RISE Scholarship, Germany
As a biology major and German studies minor interested in microbiology and immunology, Christoph will travel to Germany with the RISE Germany scholarship. In Germany, he will study advanced microscopy approaches to visualize interactions between pathogens and host immune cells at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. He is excited for the opportunity to refine his German language skills and travel to new and unfamiliar places throughout Europe.
Davis Projects for Peace Grant
Usira spent her Bowdoin summers exploring challenges immigrant and low-income women face in accessing healthcare through the CXD grant and Denning Fellowship. Female genital mutilation is an issue Usira always dreamt of addressing. With her Davis Peace Project Grant, she will be exploring this issue working with other advocates.
Davis Projects for Peace Grant
Bojana is an international student from Serbia. As a Government and Legal Studies major, Bojana is passionate about creating change. At Bowdoin, she is a leader of the Outing Club and a member of the cross country team. She enjoys spending time outdoors, surfing and hiking, and believes that the key for the future is people and nature living in symbiosis. Bojana is passionate about connecting the political system of power to nature and her Projects for Peace grant will lead her back home to Serbia, to create a sustainability program for the Belgrade youth. She aspires to enter the field of international relations, and be a part of a more sustainable and peace oriented world.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Spain
A chemistry major and Earth and oceanographic science minor, Chess is excited to spend next year as an English teaching assistant in coastal Málaga, Spain. She is grateful to have taken on several STEM teaching assistant roles throughout her time at Bowdoin and at a high school on Oahu during her junior year, which exposed her to the teaching and mentoring process. Chess also plans to engage with environmental organizations, and hopes to apply the skills she will gain from her Fulbright experience – including collaboration, adaptability, and a broader global awareness – to contribute to the development of climate change solutions.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Lithuania
A Government major and History minor, Morgan was a member of the Men’s Basketball Team, Bowdoin Public Service Initiative, and Bowdoin Night Live sketch comedy. He was also selected as a Global Citizens Fellow, in which he spent a summer working for a peacebuilding non-profit in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Outside of Bowdoin, Morgan is a published author of the memoir An Outlier’s Tribe, founder of the political podcast Filibustered, and was an intern at Samantha Bee’s late-night show Full Frontal. He is excited to further his passion for education and mutual understanding on a Fulbright ETA grant to Lithuania.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Israel
Hailing from Oak Park, Illinois, Max graduated Bowdoin with a degree in English. With his Fulbright fellowship, he will teach English at Tel-Hai college in Israel. At Bowdoin, Max was the Master of Sessions of the Peucinian Society, a Co-President of Bowdoin Hillel, a Trip Leader at the Bowdoin Outing Club, and a Proctor on Residential Life Staff. During his time in Bowdoin’s English department, Max conducted research on the use of irony in Ralph Ellison’s essays and novel Invisible Man. He hopes to share his love for American literature while teaching English to Israelis.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Germany
After leaving Bowdoin in 2022 with majors in Government and Legal Studies and German and a minor in Mathematics, Lauren will spend a year in Germany as a Fulbright ETA. Drawing on her experiences as a math tutor, German teaching assistant and Upward Bound mentor, Lauren looks forward to fostering learning as a powerful tool for mutual understanding. Lauren hopes to encourage collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and an appreciation for difference, developed through her fellowship with PEN America, to help her lead with empathy, fairness, and approachability. She is excited to strengthen her teaching and language skills and form lifelong connections as she prepares for graduate studies.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Spain
Graduating as a Government and Legal Studies and Hispanics Studies double major with an Economics minor, Beth will serve as a Fulbright ETA in Madrid, Spain. In addition to being a member of the field hockey team at Bowdoin, she sought public service opportunities to engage with the community through local nonprofits, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, and leading an Alternative Spring Break to Puerto Rico. She looks forward to connecting with students in Madrid, drawing on her experience from previous teaching assistant positions, and to immersing herself in the community through pick up field hockey and volunteering. After her time in Spain, Beth plans to pursue a legal career.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Spain
A Romance Languages and Literature major and Art History minor from Kansas City, MO, Francesca is excited to continue exploring the intersection of language and art as an English Teaching Assistant in Galicia, Spain’s plurilingual schools. Francesca has built an interest in cross-cultural connection through teaching in Spanish-speaking classrooms in Boston, working as a Writing Assistant at Bowdoin and through her honors research into the Spanish reception of Dante’s Divine Comedy. As a life-long dancer and student of Art History, Francesca is excited to engage with her students and her community through the arts.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Taiwan
Griffin is majoring in Mathematics and Digital and Computational Studies, while serving as President of the men's rugby team. He is embarking on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan to further his goal of seeing the world from international perspectives. With hands-on local experience, Griffin will learn to build new connections on a personal level across cultures. Beyond Fulbright, Griffin hopes to continue his interest in international matters to focus on business on a global scale.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Colombia
Graduating with a double major in Economics and Education, Ally is thrilled to be journeying to Colombia as a Fulbright ETA. Throughout her time at Bowdoin, she has explored local mentoring and volunteering opportunities while also captaining the Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Originally from Denver, Ally centered many of her work experiences in the West including policy work for a Colorado education non-profit and interning in strategy for a financial technology firm. Outside of the classroom in Colombia, she’s excited to lead a personal finance course geared towards women in her local community.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Mexico
A Chemistry and Hispanic Studies major and Biology minor, Emily looks forward to exploring her interests in language learning and cultural exchange during her time as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Mexico. At Bowdoin, Emily has been active with the McKeen Center as a leader of the Bear Buddies mentoring group, the Public Health Club, and Alternative Spring Break. She has also been involved with the Multilingual Mainers program, teaching Spanish to kindergarteners at Kate Furbish Elementary School. Upon her return from Mexico, Emily hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Germany
Tor was a German and History double major at Bowdoin. After graduating in December, 2021, Tor worked as a ski instructor in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Though certainly in a different capacity, she is thrilled to continue working with children in Germany with the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Within her Germany Fulbright ETA award, Tor was selected to work specifically with immigrant and refugee populations. She looks forward to connecting with these students in the classroom and in the outdoors.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Taiwan
An English major and Theater minor, Ellie will spend the upcoming academic year as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan. An internship at the East Harlem school in the summer of 2019 confirmed Ellie’s love of teaching, and she can’t wait to get into the classroom and meet her students. As a four year member of the Bowdoin Improvabilities and a sketch comedy group, Ellie hopes to explore the performing arts scene in Taiwan and get involved in her local school’s arts program. Drawing on skills she learned in an Audio Theater class, Ellie plans to make a podcast about her experience in Taiwan (featuring her students!).
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Spain
Dani is a Latin American Studies and Sociology double major from Muscoy, California. At Bowdoin, she served as the president of the Latin American Student Organization, led an Alternative Spring Break trip on the U.S.-Mexico border immigration crisis, worked for Residential Life, conducted research as a Mellon Mays fellow, and worked for The Bowdoin Orient. Dani aims to use her experiences, as a camp counselor for FGLI Latino youth like herself and as a former ESL student, during her time in Spain as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. She hopes to earn a PhD in a Social Science field of study and become a professor or librarian.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Germany
As a Neuroscience major and German minor, Abby has fostered a passion for storytelling and translation. She has pursued these interests in many ways while at Bowdoin, most notably as a medical assistant at a local hospital, a teaching assistant in both STEM and German courses, and through her honors project. Abby was selected as a recipient of this grant, but declined the award to accept the Austrian Government English Teaching Assistantship.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Spain
Graduating with a Psychology degree, Ridhika was selected to teach English as a Fulbright ETA in Spain. At Bowdoin, she was able to cultivate her passion for mentoring with THRIVE and teaching as a learning assistant for the BCLT. She also volunteered with the McKeen Center, led the mental health club at Bowdoin, Active Minds, and worked with the Sustainability Office throughout her time. Ridhika was selected as a recipient of this grant, but declined the award to pursue a position with the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Thailand
As an English major with a concentration in creative writing and an Economics minor, Clay is interested in communication in all its many forms. During his time at Bowdoin, Clay developed his love for public service, from volunteer work for RSU5's Adult Education program to a summer teaching internship at The Telling Room. Pursuing his passion for language, education, and community, Clay will be serving as an ETA in Thailand on a Fulbright scholarship. Upon his return, Clay plans to attend divinity school to prepare for a career in ministry and religious service.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Taiwan
Graduating from Bowdoin with an English and Africana Studies double major and Psychology minor, Angela will serve as an ETA in Taiwan. At Bowdoin, she is the president of Next Steps, captain of the track and field team, and a youth mental health advocate. Drawing on her mental health policy work and passion for working with students, Angela is curious to see how Taiwan’s approach to mental healthcare impacts wellness discussions in and out of the classroom. As a U.S.-Taiwan liaison, she is committed to strengthening cross-cultural ties while gaining a new global understanding of mental health consciousness.
Fulbright Grants for English Teaching Assistantships, Morocco
Graduating with a degree in History and Urban Studies, Micah will be spending the next year teaching at a Moroccan university as a Fulbright ETA. Throughout their time at Bowdoin, Micah studied the politics and cultures of social movements and is excited to explore these histories with their students in the classroom. At Bowdoin, Micah served as a middle school mentor, worked as a Writing Assistant, and organized with the Bowdoin Labor Alliance. In Morocco, they are hoping to get involved in ongoing efforts at interfaith coalition-building between the country’s Jewish and Muslim communities.
Fulbright Grants for Study/Research, Spain
As a Neuroscience major, Hannah has found herself fascinated by the intersection between neuroplasticity and electrophysiology. While at Bowdoin, she researched this connection in a compensatory context, and she is excited to explore it from a developmental perspective while in Spain. Having studied abroad in Spain in high school, Hannah is thrilled about the opportunity to return and work with prominent researchers there, as well as to continue her passion of rowing. She plans to use this experience to guide her future PhD research in neuroplasticity, with hopes of creating a better understanding of how our brains change over time.
Fulbright Grants for Study/Research, Finland
Tim graduated from Bowdoin in 2014 with a major in Economics and a minor in Music. He spent four years working in creative strategy and digital project management and the last four years in public school operations in NYC. He could not be more excited to bring these passions together on his Fulbright S/R grant to Finland, where Tim will complete a Master’s Digital Sustainability at Tampere University, focusing on digital literacy, education technology, and digital ethics. Tim will enjoy his free time playing pond hockey, seeing the northern lights, and embracing Finland’s sauna culture.
Gates-Cambridge Scholarship
Adaiah graduated with a degree in Anthropology and English, with a Dance minor. At Bowdoin, Adaiah was a Mellon Mays Fellow, Writing Assistant, and member of Peer Health. Since graduating, she has worked for Teach for America, the International Institute of Metro Detroit, and Root Cause. These formative experiences inspired Adaiah to pursue an MPhil in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge as a 2021 Gates Cambridge Scholar. This 2022 award will fund her PhD in Social Anthropology, where she will continue research at the intersections of anthropology, law, immigration and border studies, and Latin American studies. She is excited to build a career as a researcher and advocate.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Clara is a rising Senior studying Biology (major) and Math (minor) at Bowdoin. She is a budding researcher specifically excited by community and behavioral ecology. Clara's past work focuses on the structure and implications of fish aggregations around marine debris. This coming year, she will engage in a NOAA Hollings summer internship at KBNERR (Alaska) and an academic year-long independent study with Biomaths Prof. Zeeman. Throughout her career, Clara hopes to combine her experience in ecology and passion for math to learn more about the environment's inner workings.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
As a chemistry major with a concentration in the environment and a government and legal studies minor, Seamus is committed to communicating difficult scientific ideas in a way that can be digestible for people across academic levels. His work in the Vasudevan lab, studying the environmental fate of pharmaceuticals has solidified his desire to continue conducting research. Seamus plans to continue this research as a member of the Vasudevan lab by conducting an honors project in the 2022-2023 academic year. The Goldwater Scholarship will provide him with financial support in exploring his passion for research.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
As a Math and Physics double major and Chemistry minor, Ari is fascinated by how mathematical and physical frameworks can be applied to questions in chemistry and biochemistry. Over the summer of 2021, Ari conducted computational biophysics research with Dr. Jason Puchalla from Princeton University simulating burst analysis spectroscopy (BAS), an emergent spectroscopy technique. As a junior, he was awarded the Goldwater Scholarship, writing his application on his BAS research. As a senior, Ari plans to complete an honors thesis in math, eventually pursuing a Ph.D. in math or applied math after graduating.
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Kellie is an aspiring marine biologist who majors in Biology and Environmental Studies and minors in Education. This year, she received the Goldwater and Udall Scholarships. She hopes to find ways to combat climate change impacts on marine ecosystems through research to inform environmental policy. Kellie also aims to increase access to the field of marine science/conservation for underrepresented students by forming an organization that provides marine conservation education and research opportunities for undergraduate students of color. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Molecular Ecology and work as a researcher and educator at an institution such as NOAA.
Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme
An Asian Studies major and Sociology minor, Carey devoted her time at Bowdoin studying both Chinese and Japanese while playing in various music ensembles, participating in year-round sports, working in dining, and volunteering in the local Brunswick middle and elementary schools. As an assistant English language teacher in Japan, Carey will engage in cultural exchange, continue to hone her language abilities, and gain formal teaching experience. Afterwards, she hopes to work in education as an English as a second language teacher.
Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme
Graduating from Bowdoin with an English and Africana Studies double major and Psychology minor, Angela was selected for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, but declined this award to accept the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Taiwan.
Knight-Hennessy Scholars
As a Government and Legal Studies major, Kelsey focused her time at Bowdoin on Indigenous rights—researching barriers to college access for Native students, leading an Alternative Spring Break to the Passamaquoddy Reservation, working for a Native social services agency, and completing an honors project on Indigenous social movements. Post-Bowdoin, Kelsey published a book, No Option but North, which won the Colorado Book Award and is based off of her year on a Fulbright Fellowship in Mexico interviewing Central American migrants. Kelsey also works at Central Oregon Community College, where she developed a college-readiness program for Native American high school students.
National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellowship
Zoe graduated from Bowdoin in 2019 with a major in Earth and Oceanographic Science and a minor in Computer Science. She is currently pursuing a PhD in biological oceanography through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Joint Program where she is advised by Dr. Mick Follows. Zoe’s research focuses on modelling phytoplankton ecology and understanding the mechanisms that drive community structure and ecosystem response to ocean conditions.
National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellowship
John graduated from Bowdoin in 2022 as an Economics and Mathematics major. After taking many math courses at Bowdoin, he developed a passion for machine learning research at North Carolina State University the summer after his junior year. Interested in the intersection between mathematical theory and application and its role in technology, he is currently pursuing a Statistics PhD. at the University of Chicago.
National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellowship
Lili graduated from Bowdoin in 2018 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Hispanic Studies. She completed an Honors project at Bowdoin that examined children’s development of false belief understanding, with Dr. Suzanne Lovett. Lili is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). Her research will focus on developing an ecological model to understand adolescents’ success on probation, and ultimately aims to inform juvenile legal system policy and practice.
National Science Foundation - Graduate Research Fellowship
Zoe gained a love for ecology as an undergraduate at Bowdoin, where she studied insect-plant interactions at the Bowdoin Scientific Station on Kent Island and camped for the first time with the Outing Club. After graduating, she spent time as a Resident Naturalist in the Peruvian Amazon, as a teaching assistant for a field course in Ecuador, as an outdoor educator in Maine, and as a research assistant at University of California, Santa Barbara. At UCSB, she explored the intersection of natural history collections and film photography. After chasing wildflowers on a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, she will begin a PhD in Ecology at the University of California, Davis.
St. Andrew's Society Scholarship
Sam is a Biology Major with a concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and an English Minor. He has a particular interest in invasive species and their management. He plans to study trophic interactions and evolutionary ecology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, obtaining a masters degree there. After doing so, Sam would like to find a way to combine teaching with field science and conservation work. At Bowdoin, he participates largely in the Bowdoin Outing Club, with whom he is a student trip leader.
Udall Scholarship
Kellie is an aspiring marine biologist who majors in Biology and Environmental Studies and minors in Education. This year, she received the Goldwater and Udall Scholarships. She hopes to find ways to combat climate change impacts on marine ecosystems through research to inform environmental policy. Kellie also aims to increase access to the field of marine science/conservation for underrepresented students by forming an organization that provides marine conservation education and research opportunities for undergraduate students of color. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Molecular Ecology and work as a researcher and educator at an institution such as NOAA.
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
A Biochemistry major and Sociology minor on the premed track, Mary was awarded the Watson Fellowship to pursue a year of independent international research. On her Watson, Mary will explore the various ways women around the world behave as caretakers, what led them to the role, the influences of their womanhood, and how they cultivate community with themselves and others. An aspiring physician and public health worker, Mary hopes to utilize her education and personal narrative to advocate for, empower, and support black women and black women's health domestically and internationally. On campus, Mary was a co-founder of BUMP and was involved in various academic and extracurricular activities.
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
As a History and Sociology double major, Radu Stochita (Stoc) is fascinated by labor relations and the importance of labor unions in society. After having conducted an Honors Project on the labor relations in video games industry and worked inside the labor movement for over two years, he will take the journey around the world to learn more about labor groups in various cultures. He aims to discover how unions act as tools of community-building and how workers have been fighting for better and more just working conditions.
Yenching Scholar
Graduating as an Asian Studies and Economics double major, Amanda will continue her Chinese language studies this summer in Tainan, Taiwan at National Cheng Kung University. At Bowdoin, she served as a Chinese Language Learning Assistant, a fellow for the Common Good Grant Program at the McKeen Center for the Common Good, and a head proctor in the Office of Residential Life. In the Fall, Amanda looks forward to pursuing a Master’s in China Studies and International Politics through the Yenching Academy at Peking University, where she will research Chinese food security and sustainability.