2013-2014 ARHU Fulbright Recipients
March 07, 2013
ARHU students receive prestigious Fulbright award.
Last Updated: 5/29/2013
ARHU’s Fulbright recipients will be studying or teaching English in a wide array of countries.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program enables qualified undergraduates, graduate students and recent alumni to design their own study or research plans or to teach English in over 155 countries. It provides unique opportunities for international experience, personal enrichment and an open exchange of ideas with citizens of other nations. For more information on the Fulbright program, visit us.fulbrightonline.org or contact UMD's National Scholarships Office at fulbright@umd.edu.
PLEASE NOTE: Announcements are made on a rolling deadline as the various host countries make their decisions. We will keep this list as current as possible as additional winners are announced.
ARHU Recipients
Amina Goheer, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Harrison Guthorn, Department of History
James Hesla, School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
Elana Mayer, Department of History and School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Sonia Prescott, Department of History
Katy Rennenkampf, Department of English
Jesse Zarley, Department of History
Amina Goheer, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Amina Goheer, a 2012 alumna of the University with degrees in Government and Arabic Studies, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Turkey for 2013-14.
At Maryland Amina was a member of the Honors College Gemstone Program, served as a Gemstone teaching assistant, as a resident assistant, and was active in ODK. In addition, while at Maryland Amina was a research assistant at the START Center, studied abroad in Alexandria, Egypt, and held internships at Search for Common Ground, an NGO that encourages collaborative solutions to conflict, and the Embassy of Pakistan.
Following her Fulbright year in Turkey she plans to pursue admission to Masters programs focusing on international development or global public health, with a special focus on programs for youths.
Harrison Guthorn, Department of History
Harrison Guthorn, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History, has been awarded a 2013-14 Fulbright Grant for study in Jordan. His project title is: “Building the Heart of Jordan: Mandate Era Amman 1921-1946.”
Harrison will explore the development of Amman as the capital of Transjordan during the Mandate period, a time that is critical for both the history of Jordan and the entire Middle East. He will demonstrate how the history of Amman is the history of Transjordan by focusing upon the development of Amman’s infrastructure, elites, and its civil society. Harrison has secured affiliations with the American Center of Oriental Research and with Dr. Rami Daher of the University of Jordan.
After his Fulbright year Harrison will complete his dissertation in Modern Middle East History and will then pursue a career in academia teaching Modern Middle East History. His advisor at Maryland is Prof. Peter Wien.
James Hesla, School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
James Hesla, a Ph.D. candidate in the Theatre program, has been awarded a 2013-14 Fulbright Grant for study in Indonesia. His project title is: “Balinese Clowns and Clowning in Traditional Masked Dance-Drama.”
James asserts that clowns have the freedom to comment on pressing social and cultural concerns through comic actions and dialogue. He will examine how clowns and clowning both reflect and have an impact on Balinese cultural values in performance and performer training. He will be affiliated with the Arts Institute of Indonesia in Denpasar, Bali.
Upon his return James plans to develop an intercultural research and teaching agenda by teaching theatre at the college or university level. His advisor at Maryland is Prof. Laurie Frederik Meer.
Elana Mayer, Department of History and School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Elana Mayer, an ARHU senior double-majoring in History and Spanish, and earning a Latin American Studies certificate, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico for the 2013-14 academic year.
In Mexico Elana will serve as an English language and cultural assistant at a public university. While teaching, she will also develop an independent project working with local schools and educators to develop an understanding of the ways locality and identity influence second language education in Mexico. Upon her return from Mexico, Elana plans to complete the Masters Certification (MCERT) Program at UMD to become a high school Spanish and/or ESL teacher.
Elana is an alumna of the College Park Scholars Public Leadership Program, and is a member of the Spanish cluster of Language House. She has been active member and leader in numerous student organizations, including the alternative breaks program of the Office of Leadership and Community Service Learning, the Latin American Studies Student Organization, UMD Hillel, and many others. Elana studied abroad in Chile at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica.
Sonia Prescott, Department of History
Sonia Prescott, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History, has been awarded a 2013-14 Fulbright Grant for study in Panama. Her project title is: “Afro Antillean Contributions to the Labor Movement in Panama, 1919-1932.”
Sonia will analyze the role of the Afro Antillean community in the Panamanian labor movement, particularly the Silver Roll strike of 1919, and the rent strikes of 1925 and 1932. She will focus specifically on the role of racial propaganda in defining how these protests gained or lost the support of the larger Panamanian society. Sonia has secured affiliations with the University of Panama, working with Dr. Luis Navas, and with the Museo Afro Antillano de Panamá.
After her Fulbright year Sonia plans to complete her dissertation and will then pursue a post-doctoral fellowship in the field of African Diaspora history. Her co-advisors at Maryland are Prof. Julie Greene and Prof. Karin Rosemblatt.
Katy Rennenkampf, Department of English
Katy Rennenkampf, a CMNS senior triple-majoring in Mathematics, English, and Economics has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Indonesia for the 2013-14 academic year.
While teaching English Katy, who aspires to become a Math educator at the secondary level, will be pursuing a project to learn about Indonesia’s recent steps in reforming its mathematics curricula, which involve adoption of “Realistic Mathematics Education” approaches. She also hopes to contribute to efforts in Indonesia to revitalize field hockey as a youth sport. Upon her return from Indonesia Katy plans to take an assignment as a Teach for America Corps member.
A member of the Honors College, Katy has distinguished herself as a Honors Ambassador and as a Maryland Images Tour guide, and gained teaching experience as a para-educator in the Howard County Comprehensive Summer School program.
Jesse Zarley, Department of History
Jesse Zarley, a Ph.D. student in the Department of History, has been awarded a 2013-14 Fulbright Grant for study in Chile. His project title is: “The State Deferred: Mapuche Political Culture in Southern Chile, 1793-1862.”
Jesse will divide his time between Santiago and Temuco. He will research the political practices developed by the indigenous Mapuche population of southern Chile during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to successfully resist conquest and colonization by the Spanish Empire and the Chilean nation. He will work with primary documents and twentieth-century ethnographies to reconstruct a more coherent view of Mapuche cultural practices, rituals, and leadership structures. Jesse has secured affiliations with the Biblioteca Nacional and the Universidad de Chile, where he will work with Professor Leonardo León, an ethnohistorian of Mapuche social and military organization.
Upon his return Jesse plans to complete his dissertation then teach and research at the university level. His advisor at Maryland is Prof. Karin Rosemblatt.