Fellowships at Mount Holyoke celebrates 2024 recipients

Beckman Scholars Program

for students to engage in fifteen months of mentored on-campus research

• Evelyn “Moss” Beeler ’26 — Moss has a deep interest in bioacoustics and intends to pursue a Ph.D. in biology; the skills she gained in Professor Patricia Brennan’s lab will be foundational to her growth. This summer, Moss will conduct a literature review and further study salamander sound production and bioacoustics under the guidance of Brennan. Salamanders are integral to the ecosystem’s health and biodiversity, and the hope is that this research will serve as a launching point for additional study.
• Aitana Zamora Varela ‘27 — With hopes to lead their own neuroscience lab someday, Aitana will need to master many integral skills, such as surgeon-level fly brain dissection and confocal microscopy, to complete their current tauopathy research. Under the mentorship of Professor Kenneth Colodner, they will research Alzheimer’s-associated tau protein expressions in the astrocytic and cortical glial cells of fruit fly brains.

The two Beckman Scholars were recently profiled.

Boren Scholarships

for United States undergraduates to study abroad with a focus on the geography, language and culture of countries deemed critical to U.S. national security

• Alternate for Mandarin (anonymous)

DAAD (Deutscher Academischer Austausch Dienst)

for highly qualified graduating seniors and recent graduates to pursue a postgraduate degree at a German university

• Renee Pelletier ’19 — Renee’s excellent academic record, demonstrated interest in the German language and culture, and unique area of research — informed by both academic pursuits and lived experiences related to heritage and pilgrimage — led her to pursue a Master’s program in World Heritage Studies at Brandenburgische Technische Universität.

Projects for Peace

for students at partner universities to design grassroots projects around the world that promote peace and address root causes of conflict

• Ana Maria Stan ’24 — This summer, Ana will partner with the education non-profit Volo Studere to complete her project “Bridges of Knowledge: Connecting Cultures through Higher Education,” which aims to increase access to college admission support for Ukrainian refugees in Romania.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

for students to pursue graduate study or independent research or to teach English abroad in one of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Programs (ETA)

Finalists (received the award)

• Karla Biery ’23 — Finalist for the Fulbright Study/Research Award to Brazil, where they will complete an installation art project titled “Fiber Art Bridging Divides From Rio de Janeiro to Chicago.”
• Amanda Thibodeau ’24 — Finalist for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to Thailand.
• Emma Waldron ’24 — Finalist for the Fulbright Study/Research Award to Sweden, where they will complete an environmental sciences research project titled “Examining the Impacts of Climate Change on Carbon Fluxes in High-Latitude Ecosystems.”

Alternates

• Lydia Henning ’21 — Alternate for the Fulbright Study/Research Award to obtain an M.Sc. in Peace and Conflict Studies at Ulster University.
• Hilary Vergera FP’24 — Alternate for the Fulbright ETA to Kazakhstan.

Semifinalists

• Bria Carlson ’23 — Semifinalist for the Fulbright ETA to Lithuania.
• Nyasha Franklin ’19 — Semifinalist for the Fulbright Study/Research to Colombia.
• Caroline Odlin-Brewer ’24 — Semifinalist for the Fulbright ETA to Belgium.
• Anonymous — Semifinalist for the Fulbright ETA to Colombia

Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship

for underrepresented students to pursue graduate school and serve in the Foreign Service

• Mariam Keita ’24 — Mariam has long desired to make an impact through public service, thriving in situations where she can build global connectedness. The support the Rangel Graduate Fellowship provides throughout its two-year master’s program will prepare Mariam well for a career in the Foreign Service. She will study Global Communications at George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

for graduate students in National Science Foundation–supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions

• Nina Gilkyson ’22 — Nina was a physics major at Mount Holyoke and is currently at Brown University in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Science to model theories of magma supply into caldera-forming volcanic systems.

Honorable mentions

• Katherine Dailey ’22 — Microbial Biology
• Celia Mulcahey ’21 — Astrophysics

SITE (Study Intercultural Training Experience) Program

for recent graduates to engage in an English teaching assistant internship in schools in Lombardy, Italy

• Marci Edwards ’24 — Marci declined a teaching placement in Treviglio in favor of a graduate program through Middlebury at the University of Florence, where she will specialize in language and linguistics.