At the Dean of Studies Office at Bard, we believe the experience of applying for prestigious scholarships and fellowships can be as personally and professionally transformational as the outcome.
“Prestigious scholarships and fellowships” is a broad category of opportunities that support a range of experiences, including providing funding to pursue graduate study, to teach English abroad, to travel, or to undertake an independent research or artistic project. The Dean of Studies Office recruits students to apply for scholarships and fellowships, then guides them through every stage of the application process, from choosing opportunities to drafting personal statements and project proposals and finalizing applications.
The benefits of applying for these opportunities are myriad, but include the ability to articulate your personal story, to communicate that story to an external audience, to improve your writing, critical thinking, and public speaking skills, to define your career path and choice of graduate education, and to deepen your relationships with mentors and advisors.
To get started, please explore the opportunities listed below and make an appointment with Molly Freitas, associate dean of studies, at mfreitas@bard.edu.
Bard Student is Awarded Davis Projects for Peace Grant
Grace Miller-Trabold ’26, a junior art history and visual culture and human rights major at Bard College with a concentration in Latin American and Iberian Studies, has been awarded a Projects for Peace Grant for $10,000 by the Davis Foundation. Miller-Trabold’s project, “Connecting Threads: Reciprocity and Gratitude as Pedagogies of Peace in Oaxacan Textile,” will provide resources for youth workshops on Indigenous Oaxacan textile traditions, which will take place in Oaxaca, Mexico, and in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Bard College Senior Wins 2025–26 Schwartzman Scholarship
Congratulations to Bard College senior Aleksandar Vitanov ’25 who has been announced as a recipient of a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship for 2025–26. Vitanov, who is pursuing a double degree in Politics and Music Performance at Bard and the Bard Conservatory, is one of 150 scholars representing 38 countries and 105 universities from around the world who will receive the opportunity to attend a one-year, fully-funded master’s degree program in global affairs at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) About: DAAD provides scholarships and fellowships funded by the German government. Provides: Funding for study abroad scholarships, graduate degrees, or research fellowships/internships in Germany. Opportunities vary. Website:https://www.daad.de/en/ Eligibility: Both U.S. citizens and international students are eligible.
Davis Projects for Peace
Davis Projects for Peace About: “Projects for Peace is a global program that partners with educational institutions to identify and support young peacebuilders. Every year, 125 or more student leaders are each awarded a grant of $10,000 to implement a “Project for Peace,” typically between May and August. Most grantees are undergraduates.” Provides: $10,000 to implement a “project for peace” anywhere in the world. Website:https://www.middlebury.edu/projects-for-peace Eligibility: Applicants can be U.S. citizens or international students in any year of their college career. Special Notes: Bard will hold an internal competition in December to select the two strongest “projects for peace” proposals. Bard can only put forward one “selected” proposal and one “alternate” proposal, although both proposals can be selected by the foundation. Students can apply as individuals or in groups/teams. Recent Bard Winners: 2025: Connecting Threads: Reciprocity and Gratitude as Pedagogies of Peace in Oaxacan Textile 2024: Musical Mentorship Initiative Kenya Creative Play in Malaysia 2023: Ariha Shahed '26
Humanity in Action
Humanity in Action About: “Humanity in Action’s educational, networking and leadership programs have for over 20 years now focused on human rights violations, social tensions and how to sustainably address and prevent them.” Provides: Funding for several week summer fellowship programs in Copenhagen, Sarajevo, Amsterdam, or Berlin in issues such as climate change, democracies in crisis, human rights, etc. Website: https://humanityinaction.org/fellowship-programs/ Eligibility: Both U.S. citizens and international students are eligible to apply.
The Goldwater Scholarship
The Goldwater Scholarship About: “The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate. By providing scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, the Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields.” Provides: $7,500 toward one’s college tuition for the following year. Website:https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/ Eligibility: Must be a U.S. citizen with plans to pursue a research career in science, mathematics, engineering, or psychology. Must be in one’s sophomore or junior year of college coursework. Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). Bard will hold an internal competition with students in the Science, Mathematics, and Computing Division. A committee will then select the strongest four applicants (Bard can only nominate four). For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies at mfreitas@bard.edu Recent Bard Winners: 2024 Emma Derrick '25 Reed Campbell '25
The Truman Scholarship
The Truman Scholarship About: “The Truman [Scholarship] is the nation’s official living memorial to our thirty-third president and the presidential monument to public service. Our vision is of a country that deeply values public servants. In pursuit of this mission and vision, we award the Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for those pursuing careers as public service leaders, in addition to programs across the course of Truman Scholars' careers.” Provides: $30,000 toward a graduate or law degree (no MBAs). Website:https://www.truman.gov/ Eligibility: Must be a U.S. citizen with a strong record of public service (on-campus or in one’s home community). Students also must be in their junior (third) year, unless they are in a five-year program (like the Conservatory), in which case they can be in their fourth year of college coursework. Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). Bard will hold an internal competition in October to select the four Bard nominees for Truman (we cannot nominate more than four). For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies at mfreitas@bard.edu Recent Bard Winners: Karimah Shabazz ‘14
The Udall Scholarship
The Udall Scholarship About: “The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship honors the legacies of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources. The Scholarship Program identifies future leaders in environmental, Tribal public policy, and health care fields.” Provides: $7,000 toward one’s college tuition the following year. Website: The Udall Scholarship Eligibility: Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is a college sophomore or junior. Must be interested in and working toward positive change in the fields of environmental or Native American policy. Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies at mfreitas@bard.edu
Gaither Junior Fellows Program About: “Each year, through the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers approximately 15 one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. They are selected from a pool of nominees nominated by several hundred participating universities and colleges.” Provides: Research stipend to spend one year (beginning September 1st) at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC working with Carnegie’s senior scholars in the following fields: democracy, conflict, and governance; American statecraft; nuclear policy; technology and international affairs; the Middle East; international security and political economy; Asia; Russia and Eurasia; Africa; global order and institutions; sustainability, clime, and geopolitics; Europe. Website:James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program Eligibility: Students do not need to be U.S. citizens if they attend a university in the U.S. However, all applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for 10-12 months from September 1 through at least June 30 following graduation. Students on F-1 visas who are eligible to work in the United States for the full year may apply for the program. If a student attends a participating school outside of the United States, they must be a U.S. citizen. Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies at mfreitas@bard.edu
Gates-Cambridge Scholarship
Gates-Cambridge Scholarship About: “Postgraduate scholarships at the University of Cambridge for Scholars with a commitment to changing the world for the better. Each year Gates Cambridge offers 80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the US round and 55 available in the International round.” Provides: Full tuition funding to select Cambridge graduate programs (preference given to students pursuing a DPhil or PhD). Website:https://www.gatescambridge.org/ Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students. Special Notes: In order to become a Gates-Cambridge Scholar, students must first get into their chosen Cambridge graduate program.
Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Knight-Hennessy Scholars About: “Knight-Hennessy Scholars cultivates and supports a multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers engaging experiences that prepare graduates to be visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders who address complex challenges facing the world.” Provides: Full tuition funding to any Stanford graduate or professional program for three years; stipend for living expenses; leadership training. Website:Knight-Hennessy Scholars Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students. Special Notes: In order to become a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, applicants must first get into their chosen Stanford graduate program. Recent Bard Winners: Hannah Park-Kaufmann '24
Luce Scholars
Luce Scholars About: “Luce Scholars is a leadership development fellowship that provides emerging leaders with immersive professional experiences in Asia. We aim to strengthen relationships across borders by offering Scholars opportunities to deepen their understanding of Asia's countries, cultures, and people. Through this year-long immersion, the Program equips scholars with knowledge and skills to address global leadership challenges and build a more interconnected world.” Provides: Job/internship placement (with a stipend) and language training. Website:https://lucescholars.org/ Eligibility: Open only to U.S. citizens. Must be 32 years or younger; if older than 32, students must have completed their bachelor’s degrees in the last three years. Students will not be placed in a country in which they have significant experience (defined as 18 weeks or more). Recent Bard Winners: Evan Tims ‘19
The Marshall Scholarship
The Marshall Scholarship About: “Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to fifty Scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at an UK institution in any field of study. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions.” Provides: Two years of funding to chosen U.K graduate programs (one two-year program or two one-year programs). Most professional programs are ineligible. Website:https://www.marshallscholarship.org/ Eligibility: Open only to U.S. citizens. Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). Must also possess a 3.7 minimum GPA and exceptional leadership. For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies at mfreitas@bard.edu
McCall MacBain Scholars
McCall MacBain Scholars About: “The McCall MacBain Scholarships bring together exceptional students who strive to engage in positive change by taking on meaningful leadership roles. McCall MacBain Scholars connect with mentors and participate in an interdisciplinary leadership program while pursuing a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University” in Montreal, Canada. Provides: Funding for a master’s or professional degree program as well as leadership training. Website:https://mccallmacbainscholars.org/ Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students
Payne International Development Fellowship
Payne International Development Fellowship About: “The USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship Program seeks to attract outstanding individuals who are interested in pursuing careers in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).” Provides: $104,000 in benefits over two years for graduate school tuition, internships, and professional development activities. Website:https://www.paynefellows.org/ Eligibility: Open only to U.S. citizens. Must pursue a two-year on-campus master’s degree program in foreign affairs or a related field. Special Notes: If awarded the Fellowship, must commit to at least five years of work in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship
Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship About: “The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Graduate Fellowship Program is a program funded by the U.S. Department of State, administered by Howard University, that attracts and prepares outstanding young people for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State. It welcomes the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the State Department, women, and those with a demonstrated financial need for graduate school. Based on the fundamental principle that diversity is a strength in our diplomatic efforts, the program values varied backgrounds, including ethnic, racial, social, and geographic diversity.” Provides: $24,000 a year toward a two-year master’s degree program in foreign affairs or a related field. Website:https://pickeringfellowship.org/ Eligibility: Open to U.S. citizens only. Must have at least a 3.2 GPA. Must pursue a two-year on-campus master’s degree program. Special Notes: If awarded the Fellowship, must commit to at least five years of work in the U.S. Foreign Service.
Princeton in Latin America/Africa/Asia
Princeton in Latin America/Africa/Asia About: “Working in every field from public health to conservation to conflict resolution, Princeton in Fellows improve the lives of everyday people in tangible and significant ways.” Provides: Stipend to pursue an internship or English-teaching experience in Latin America, Asia, or Africa. Opportunities vary. Website:Princeton in Latin America; Princeton in Asia; Princeton in Africa Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students.
Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship About: “The world's pre-eminent international scholarship. We fight the world's fights by forming an incredibly diverse lifelong community of exceptional people from across the planet, who share a transformational postgraduate experience at Oxford University.” Provides: Full-funding for two years to graduate and professional programs at Oxford University (one two-year program or two one-year programs). Website:The Rhodes Scholarship Eligibility: Both U.S. and international students are eligible, but apply out of different constituencies. For more information, please visit this page. Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). Must possess a 3.7 minimum GPA and exceptional leadership. For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies, at mfreitas@bard.edu Recent Bard Winners: Sonita Alizada '23 (Global Rhodes constituency) Nawara Alabond '23 Bard Berlin (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine Rhodes constituency). Ronan Farrow ‘04
Rotary Global Grant
About: “Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in Rotary’s areas of focus which include: basic education and literacy; disease prevention and treatment; community economic development; maternal and child health; peacebuilding and conflict prevention; water, sanitation, and hygiene; the environment. By working together to respond to real community needs, clubs and districts strengthen their global partnerships.” Provides: Funding for graduate study abroad or funding for humanitarian projects. Website:Rotary Global Grants Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students. Special Notes: Students must first contact a local Rotary club (usually in one’s home town, but possibly also near Bard in Red Hook or Rhinebeck).
Samuel Huntington Public Service Award
Samuel Huntington Public Service Award About: “The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides $30,000 stipends for graduating college seniors to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career. Projects that have the potential to be sustainable are favored, and therefore many of the projects initiated by past award recipients continue to benefit people today.” Provides: $30,000 toward a public service project of the student’s design. Website:https://www.samuelhuntingtonaward.org/ Eligibility: Open to all graduating seniors from accredited U.S. colleges and universities. No citizenship requirements.
Schwarzman Scholars
Schwarzman Scholars About: “A one year, fully-funded master’s degree [in Global Affairs] designed to build a global community of future leaders who will serve to deepen understanding between China and the rest of the world.” Provides: Funding for a one-year master’s program and leadership training at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Website:https://www.schwarzmanscholars.org/ Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students. Must be between 18-28 years of age and possess exceptional leadership. Recent Bard Winners: Aleksandar Vitanov Past Winners: Evan Tims Edris Tajik Michael Nyakundi
The Watson Fellowship
The Watson Fellowship About: “The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship is a one-year grant for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States, awarded to graduating seniors nominated by one of 41 partner institutions.” Provides: $40,000 to execute a passion project in at least four countries (which cannot include the United States). Students must remain out of the U.S. for one calendar year. Website:https://watson.foundation/fellowships/tj Eligibility: Open to both U.S. citizens and international students. Can only apply when a college senior (first or second semester). Special Notes: Students must apply through Bard (“institutional endorsement”). Bard will hold an internal competition in late September to select the four Bard nominees for Watson (we cannot nominate more than four). For more information, please contact Molly Freitas, Associate Dean of Studies at mfreitas@bard.edu Recent Bard Winners: Nine Reed-Mera '24 Andy Garcia '22 Ashley Eugley '22
Yenching Academy at Peking University
Yenching Academy at Peking University About: “The Yenching Academy of Peking University aims to build bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master's program in China Studies. This initiative brings together young people who have demonstrated a talent for leadership and innovation. At Yenching, they are immersed in an intensive learning environment where they can explore China and its role in the world—past, present, and future. The Academy's goal is to shape new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China.” Provides: Full funding for a master’s degree in China Studies at Peking University. Website:https://yenchingacademy.pku.edu.cn/ Eligibility: Both U.S. citizens and international students are eligible to apply.
Bard College Celebrates Student Excellence at Annual Scholarship Reception
2024 Annual Scholarship Reception. Photo by Karl Rabe
Bard College faculty, staff, and students gathered at Blithewood Manor for this year's Annual Scholarship Reception on Monday, November 11. This annual event honors students who have excelled in their studies and contributed to academic and campus life. The evening’s awardees, who were nominated by faculty from across the four divisions of the College, represent excellence in the arts; social studies; languages and literature; and science, mathematics, and computing.
“We are pleased to recognize this year’s Bard Scholars, who represent the very best of what we are and what we do,” said Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Studies David Shein. “These students, who were selected by their faculty and deans in recognition of their contributions in the classroom and to the campus community, have demonstrated not only excellence in their work but deep care and commitment to that work and to the life of the College. We are proud of them and look forward to seeing what they will do next.”
Many of the named scholarships are made possible by generous contributions from Bard donors. Thank you to all supporters for believing in the value of a college education, and for investing in the future of Bard students.
Bard College Celebrates Student Achievements at Undergraduate Awards Ceremony
2024 Undergraduate Awards Ceremony. Photo by Queenie Si ’25
On Thursday, May 9, Bard College faculty, staff, and students gathered at Blithewood Manor for this year’s Undergraduate Awards Ceremony. This annual event honors students who have excelled in their studies and contributed to academic and campus life. The evening’s awardees, who were nominated by faculty from across the four divisions of the College, represent excellence in the arts; social studies; languages and literature; and science, mathematics, and computing.
“Bard students are extraordinary,” said David Shein, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of studies. “The quality of their engagement, in the classroom and in the campus community, is of the highest quality and represents the very best of what college students can do. We look forward to watching them continue to excel in Annandale and to seeing them make their world a better place in the years to follow.”
Many of the undergraduate awards are made possible by generous contributions from Bard donors. Thank you to all our supporters for believing in the value of a college education, and for investing in the future of Bard students.
Two Bard College Graduates Win 2024 Fulbright Awards
L-R: Fulbright winners Sara Varde de Nieves ’22 and Jonathan Asiedu ’24 (photo by Chris Kayden).
Two Bard College graduates have won 2024–25Fulbright Awards for individually designed research projects and English teaching assistantships. During their grants, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The Fulbright program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Bard College is a Fulbright top producing institution.
Sara Varde de Nieves ’22, who was a joint major in film and electronic arts and in human rights at Bard, has been selected for a Fulbright Study/Research Award to Chile for the 2024–25 academic year. Their project, “Regresando al Hogar/Returning Home,” aims to preserve the legacy of Villa San Luis, a large-scale public housing complex built in Las Condes, Santiago, Chile from 1971 to 1972. Through a multi-format documentary comprising interviews with former residents and project planners, archival documents, and footage of the current buildings, Varde de Nieves seeks to capture the collective memory of Villa San Luis’s original residents and planners. In executing this project, Varde de Nieves aims to expand the label of “heritage conservation” to include buildings and infrastructure that are not considered culturally significant as classic historical monuments and to make connections among narrative, memory, ephemera, and the historical archive. “I’m very excited to conduct in-person research on Villa San Luis, an innovative project that strove for class integration and high-quality construction. During my time abroad, I hope to foster long-lasting relationships and get acquainted with Chile's fascinating topography,” says Varde de Nieves.
While at Bard, Varde de Nieves worked as an English language tutor in Red Hook as well as at La Voz, the Hudson Valley Spanish language magazine. Their Senior Project, “Re-igniting the Clit Club,” a documentary about a queer party in the Meatpacking district during the 1990s, won multiple awards at Bard.
Jonathan Asiedu ’24, a written arts major, has been selected for an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) Fulbright to Spain. His teaching placement will be in the Canary Islands. While in Spain, Asiedu plans to hold weekly poetry workshops in local cultural centers, communities, and schools. He hopes to invite the community to bring in their work or poems that speak to them, to share poets and writers and the ways they speak to us. “Studying poetry, learning pedagogical practices to inform my future as an educator, and mentorship opportunities throughout my college career have shaped both my perception of education and the work that needs to be done to improve students’ experiences within the educational system,” he says.
At Bard, Asiedu serves as a lead peer counselor through Residence Life, an Equity and Inclusion Mentor with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, admission tour guide, and works as a campus photographer. Moreover, this past year, he gained TESOL certification and has served as an English language tutor, as well as a writing tutor at the Eastern Correctional Facility through the Bard Prison Initiative. Asiedu, who is from the South Bronx, decided early on that he wanted to speak Spanish and has taken the Spanish Language Intensive at Bard, which includes four weeks of study in Oaxaca, Mexico. After the completion of his Fulbright ETA, he plans to pursue a master degree in education with a specialization in literature from Bard’s Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Three Bard students have also been named alternates for Fulbright Awards. Bard Conservatory student Nita Vemuri ’24, who is majoring in piano performance and economics, is an alternate for a Fulbright Study/Research Award to Hungary. Film and electronic arts graduate Elizabeth Sullivan ’23 is an alternate for a Fulbright Study/Research Award to Germany. Mathematics major Skye Rothstein ’24 is an alternate for a Fulbright Study/Research Award to Germany.
Fulbright is a program of the US Department of State, with funding provided by the US Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries.
Hannah Park-Kaufmann ’24, who is graduating with dual degrees in piano performance and mathematics, has won a Knight-Hennessy Scholarship for graduate-level study at Stanford University. Park-Kaufmann will pursue a master's degree in computational and mathematical engineering at Stanford University School of Engineering. After completing her master’s degree at Stanford through Knight-Hennessy, she will matriculate into the PhD program in applied mathematics at Harvard University, a program to which she has already been accepted. As a pianist, Hannah became fascinated by human fine-motor movement. She aspires to help more people reach mastery in physiologically complex professions by using experiment, theory, and computation to explore what simpler patterns might underlie our movements, and turning this understanding into new educational paradigms.
At Bard, Hannah was president of the Association for Women in Mathematics Chapter, tutored mathematics in New York state prisons through the Bard Prison Initiative, and gave a TEDx talk on a research study she designed and led at MIT on the physiological correlates of healthy versus injury-prone piano playing. She participated in the Polymath Jr., Emory and CMU mathematics REUs, and has coauthored multiple papers published in peer reviewed journals. Her teams’ projects won first place at the international hackathon HackMIT in the tracks Sustainability (2022) and Education (2023, with Elliot Harris ’24). She is the recipient of the Bard Distinguished Scientist Scholar Award, the Community Action Award, the Mind, Brain and Behavior Award, the Seniors to Seniors Award, and the Conservatory Scholarship.
Established in 2016, the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship program seeks to prepare students to take leadership roles in finding creative solutions to complex global issues. Scholars receive full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford and have additional opportunities for leadership training, mentorship, and experiential learning across multiple disciplines.
Post Date: 05-07-2024
Hertog Fellowships in Political Studies Awarded to Two Bard College Students
Declan Carney ’26 (left), and William Helman ’25, (right, photo by Jonathan Asiedu ’24)
Two Bard College students, William Helman ’25 and Declan Carney ’26, have been awarded Hertog Foundation Fellowships in Political Studies for 2024. Helman, a joint major in History and Film, and Carney, majoring in Global and International studies, will study the theory and practice of politics during six weeks of intensive seminars that will take place this summer in Washington, DC. The sessions will explore contemporary public affairs, economics, foreign policy, and political philosophy, drawing upon the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare, Tocqueville, and Lincoln.
“I want to thank my advisor Richard Aldous for nominating me for the program,” said Helman. “I wouldn’t have been part of it without him.”
Each year, the Hertog Foundation brings together top college students to the nation’s capital to explore the theory and practice of politics in an intensive seminar setting with acclaimed faculty. Political Studies Fellows take courses in a wide variety of subjects and will have the opportunity to hear from leaders in American government and politics. The Hertog Foundation, which aims to support individuals who seek to influence the intellectual, civic, and political life of the US, also offers several other highly competitive educational programs in Constitutional Studies, Humanities, and War & Security Studies.
Post Date: 04-23-2024
Two Bard Students Named as Recipients of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship
Reed Campbell ’25, left, and Emma Derrick ’25, right, have been named as recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship.
Bard College is pleased to announce that Bard students Reed Campbell ’25, a junior biology major, and Emma Derrick ’25, a junior physics major, have been announced as recipients of the 2024 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater scholarship supports college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
Campbell, who is currently studying abroad at the University College Roosevelt in the Netherlands, has conducted research with his advisor, Dr. Cathy Collins, as well as at the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environmental Ocean Sciences during an REU internship. He hopes to earn a PhD in Marine Ecology and conduct research in marine conservation at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Derrick has conducted research with her advisor, Dr. Antonios Kontos, on Laser Interferometric Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) to analyze the effects of annealing on the development of defects in mirror coatings. After Bard, Emma aims to earn a PhD in Experimental Gravitational-Wave Physics, after which she hopes to secure a faculty position, conduct research, and mentor and collaborate with students.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, established by Congress in 1986 in honor of Senator Barry Goldwater, aims to ensure that the U.S. is producing highly-qualified professionals in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Over its 30-year history, Goldwater Scholarships have been awarded to thousands of undergraduates, many of whom have gone on to win other prestigious awards such as the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship that support the graduate school work of Goldwater scholars. Learn more at goldwaterscholarship.gov/
Post Date: 04-03-2024
Bard College Student Melonie Bisset ’24 Wins Critical Language Scholarship for Foreign Language Study Abroad
Bard College student Melonie Bisset ’24.
Bard College senior Melonie Bisset ’24, a film and electronic arts major, has won a highly selective Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for the 2024 summer session. CLS, a program of the US Department of State, provides recipients with overseas placements that include intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. Each summer, American undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at US colleges and universities across the country, spend 8 to 10 weeks learning one of 13 languages at an intensive study abroad institute. The CLS Program is designed to promote rapid language gains and essential intercultural fluency in regions that are critical to US national security and economic prosperity. The languages include Arabic, Azerbaijani, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.
Bisset will study Portuguese at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The CLS Program in Rio de Janeiro provides a language learning environment designed to cover the equivalent of one academic year of university-level Portuguese study during an eight-week period. While in Brazil, Bisset will live with a local host family, eating breakfast with them each morning and spending free weekends with them. Host families help students integrate into daily life in Rio de Janeiro, introduce them to their extended networks, and create opportunities for them to practice their Portuguese in a more relaxed setting. Students also meet with a language partner several hours per week to practice conversational language skills and explore the city, planning their own activities with their language partners based on their interests.
Bisset writes that her interests have always been at the intersection of multiple cultures. That is where she feels most like herself—where she belongs. Accordingly, that is why Brazilian culture has always captivated her: its intense mix of diverse cultures. Aside from music and dance, she is also attracted to Brazilian filmmakers engaged in debates surrounding ecocinema, poverty, and multiculturalism. Her ultimate goal is to create a US-based nonprofit that facilitates cross cultural exchange and understanding through language and art.
“I am extremely grateful to receive the Critical Language Scholarship, and even more excited for the opportunity to study Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro this summer,” says Bisset. “As a multicultural-multiracial English, Mandarin, and Spanish speaker, a certified TESOL instructor, a filmmaker, an Argentine Tango dancer, a translator, and most importantly a story teller, my aspiration has always been to facilitate greater intercultural understanding through engagement with the arts and languages. I hope to establish my own organization dedicated to these dreams one day. This immersive language and cultural experience will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on my personal life and career development.”
The CLS Program is part of a US government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. CLS scholars gain critical language and cultural skills that enable them to contribute to US economic competitiveness and national security. Approximately 500 competitively selected American students at US colleges and universities participate in the CLS Program each year.
“Critical” languages are those that are less commonly taught in US schools, but are essential for America’s engagement with the world. CLS plays an important role in preparing US students for the 21st century’s globalized workforce, increasing American competitiveness, and contributing to national security. CLS scholars serve as citizen ambassadors, representing the diversity of the United States abroad and building lasting relationships with people in their host countries.
For further information about the Critical Language Scholarship or other exchange programs offered by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit http://www.clscholarship.org/ and https://studyabroad.state.gov/.
Post Date: 04-01-2024
Bard College Senior Nine Reed-Mera ’24 Wins Prestigious Watson Travel Fellowship
Nine Reed-Mera ’24. Photo by Garrick Neuner
Bard College senior Nine Reed-Mera ’24 has been awarded a prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which provides for a year of travel and exploration outside the United States. Continuing its tradition of expanding the vision and developing the potential of remarkable young leaders, the Watson Foundation selected Nine Reed-Mera as one of 35 students in the 56th Class of Watson Fellows to receive this award for 2024-25. The Watson Fellowship offers college graduates of unusual promise a year of independent, purposeful exploration and travel—in international settings new to them—to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world community. Each Watson Fellow receives a grant of $40,000 for 12 months of travel and independent study. Over the past several years, 26 Bard seniors have received Watson Fellowships.
Nine Reed-Mera ’24 will explore extremophiles, which are organisms that survive the nearly un-survivable—volcanic magma, the depths of polar ice, and the vastness of outer space. She will engage with indigenous communities, scientists, and researchers to explore how extremophiles can illuminate our understanding of life’s tenacity and serve as a blueprint for resilience in our changing world. A biology and written arts double major, Reed-Mera writes: “Nearly four billion years ago, in the heat of the newly formed planet of boiling seawater and a toxic atmosphere devoid of oxygen, our first forms grew wildly. These extremophiles were able to exist without light near the molten core of the earth, breathe iron, and turn lethal gasses into molecules that would shape geological formations. Microbiology is, in a way, a form of scientific time-travel. Through it, we can see the beginnings of human evolution. Biologically, we are connected to every other living thing on planet Earth. Extremophiles, our first ancestors, creators of the oxygen in our atmosphere, give us perspective on our parameters and potential. This Watson project will empower me to illuminate the hidden connections between the micro and macroscopic world. My journey is a celebration of resilience, storytelling, and a call to safeguard the delicate balance between nature and culture.” Nine will spend her Watson year in the United Kingdom, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia.
A Watson Year provides fellows with an opportunity to test their aspirations and abilities through a personal project cultivated on an international scale. Watson Fellows have gone on to become leaders in their fields including CEOs of major corporations, college presidents, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar Award winners, Pulitzer Prize awardees, artists, diplomats, doctors, entrepreneurs, faculty, journalists, lawyers, politicians, researchers and inspiring influencers around the world. Following the year, they join a community of peers who provide a lifetime of support and inspiration. More than 3000 Watson Fellows have been named since the inaugural class in 1969. For more information about the Watson Fellowship, visit: https://watson.foundation.
Post Date: 03-19-2024
Bard College Students Receive Two $10,000 Projects for Peace Summer Grants
Top: L-R: Blanche Darr ’25, Lexi Lanni ’26, Fredrick Otieno ’28 , and Aleksandar Vitanov ’25. Bottom: L-R: Leonard Gurevich ’24, Ifigeneia Gianne ’25 (top), Noa Doucette ’24 (bottom), and Mujtaba Naqib ’24. Photos by Jonathan Asiedu ’24
Two groups of Bard College students have been awarded 2024 Projects for Peace Summer Grants, which provide student leaders awards of $10,000 to implement a Project for Peace, typically over the summer. Bard students Ifigeneia Gianne ’25, Noa Doucette ’24, Leonard Gurevich ’24, Mujtaba Naqib ’24,and Antonios Petras won for their project “Creative Play in Malaysia,” an initiative to create immersive workshops and performances around the mediums of music, theater, and storytelling with the goals of helping refugee children in Malaysia to articulate their emotions, encourage their self-expression and build community. Bard Conservatory students Blanche Darr ’25,Aleksandar Vitanov ’25, Lexi Lanni ’26, and Fredrick Otieno ’28 won for their project, “Musical Mentorship Initiative Kenya,” to establish a music mentorship program in Nairobi, Kenya, in which Bard students will teach music lessons and establish a creative partnership between Bard and the Ghetto Classics Program in Korogocho, an area of dense poverty in Nairobi.
Bard students Gianne and Doucette witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by displaced children during a study abroad experience in Malaysia. As of January 2024, Malaysia has some 186,490 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR. Inspired by the fieldwork and relationships they started while abroad, Gianne and Doucette, along with Gurevich, Naqib, and Petras, initiated their Projects for Peace proposal, “Creative Play in Malaysia.” The first phase of their project will offer in-person collaborative creative workshops, aimed at fostering direct engagement and interactive learning, at three schools in Kuala Lumpur—Agape Mission School, Elom Community Center, and Fugee School—and will reach about 300 school children. The workshops they’ve designed will engage children in the exploration of music and sound, theater techniques and bodily experience of movement, and storytelling, recording, and sound editing for podcasts. “These facets of art underscore its transformative power, making them vital tools for personal growth, advocacy, effective self-expression, community building, and empathetic communication. We believe in the transformative power of art and performance as a medium of expression and communication beyond words,” write the project leaders. The second phase of their project is the creation of a set of activities, a kind of curriculum, which include a detailed list of ‘games’ aimed at integrating the arts into daily academic routines and introducing some new teaching techniques. While in Malaysia, they will collaborate with teachers on this curriculum, respecting the existing cultural and academic frameworks, discuss how it might be incorporated into the students’ learning, and adjust it based on feedback. Committed to an ongoing dialogue with the children, teachers, and school administration, the group plans to launch an online forum with the schools and children for continual communication.
Initiated by Bard Conservatory students Darr, Vitanov, Lanni, and Otieno, the Projects for Peace proposal, “Musical Mentorship Initiative Kenya,” builds upon two student-run Trustee Leader Scholar projects at Bard—the Musical Mentorship Initiative (MMI) founded in 2020 by Vitanov and co-led by Darr and Lanni, and Musical Mentorship Initiative Kenya (MMIK) founded in 2023 by Otieno, a viola student from Kenya. Their project will establish a musical mentorship program as a collaborative partnership between MMI, MMIK, and the Ghetto Classics Program (GCP), which serves more than 1,500 children in Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s largest slums and home to approximately 300,000 urban poor. Bard student mentors will teach individual private music lessons, offer personalized high-level music instruction in strings, winds, voice, percussion, and other instruments, and organize masterclasses, presentations, and music performances for the children in the program. Mentors will also donate much needed musical instruments including oboes, French horns, violins, recorders, and bassoons to the children in Korogocho. At GCP, children share a limited number of instruments, many in poor condition and in need of repair, which hinders progress for the young students who cannot practice at home. An even bigger problem is GCP’s teacher to student ratio, which cannot facilitate individual learning. MMIK plans to provide pedagogical workshops to the teachers in GCP, in order to improve the teaching methodology and potential of the program. MMIK will also organize an online mentorship program to help facilitate ongoing individualized music instruction and access to world-class professional musical education for young children, which is an extremely rare opportunity in Korogocho. The goal is to keep this program running for many years to come. “Music, with its ability to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers, can be used as a powerful peacemaker by fostering unity across diverse individuals,” write the project leaders. “While our project focuses on Korogocho, it also serves as a blueprint for unifying people from varied backgrounds in different locations. The purpose and community that music provides is also an incentive for the children in GCP to not turn to a life of crime, drugs, or violence on the streets of Korogocho. Our initiatives stand as a beacon of hope—instilling discipline, perseverance, patience, and empathy in the youth, as well as forging the next generation of aspiring artists.”
Otieno, an alumnus of GCP and one of the project leaders, adds: “Growing up in the third largest slum in Kenya, Korogocho, means that you are exposed to the darkest side of the world. Joining Ghetto Classics gave me a choice to live a different life. The exposure and the people I met through Ghetto Classics supported me and made sure that the dream of becoming an architecture student and viola player in a school like Bard College was no longer an impossible dream to reach. I managed to change my life through music and I know that someone else in Korogocho can also change their life as long as they have a skill at hand. With these children getting these opportunities, they are pulled away from their normal life and shown a different dimension of being in a slum. They are helped to shape purpose and build dreams for themselves.”
Projects for Peace was created in 2007 through the generosity of Kathryn W. Davis, a lifelong internationalist and philanthropist who believed that today’s youth—tomorrow’s leaders—ought to be challenged to formulate and test their own ideas. The Summer Grants program encourages young adults to develop innovative, community-centered, and scalable responses to the world’s most pressing issues. Since its founding, Projects for Peace has funded more than 2000 projects in more than 150 countries. Learn more here.
Post Date: 03-19-2024
Six Bard College Students Win Gilman International Scholarships to Study Abroad
Clockwise from top left: Bard College Gilman Scholarship recipients David Taylor-Demeter, Angel Ramirez, Jennifer Woo, Lisbet Jackson, Yadriel Lagunes, and Lyra Cauley, all from the Class of 2025.
Six Bard College students have been awarded highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships by the US Department of State. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 if also a recipient of the Gilman Critical Need Language Award, to apply toward their study abroad or internship program costs. This cohort of Gilman scholars will study or intern in more than 90 countries and represents more than 500 US colleges and universities.
Biology major Yadriel Lagunes ’25, from Clifton, New Jersey, has been awarded a $3,000 Gilman scholarship to study at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador via tuition exchange for spring 2024. At Bard, he serves as a Residential Life Peer Counselor and a supervisor on the Bard EMT Squad. “This scholarship has made studying abroad a possibility for me,” says Lagunes. “I want to center global public health in my future career as a healthcare worker and researcher. Through travel, I hope foster cultural sensitivity and communication skills that are desperately needed in my field. I am so grateful for Gilman scholarship for this opportunity.”
French and Anthropology double major Lyra Cauley ’25, from Blue Hill, Maine, has been awarded a $4,000 Gilman scholarship to study at the Center for University Programs Abroad (CUPA) in Paris, France via tuition exchange for spring 2024. “I would like to thank the Gilman scholarship for giving me financial security and freedom abroad. This scholarship allows me to fully embrace the experience of learning and living abroad with financial worry or strain,” says Cauley.
Biology major Angel Ramirez ’25, from Bronx, New York, has been awarded a $3,000 Gilman scholarship to study at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg, The Netherlands via tuition exchange for spring 2024. “I’m very grateful to be a recipient of the Gilman scholarship,” says Ramirez. “It’s a huge opportunity to be able to pursue my goals within biology for my future in STEM. I’m excited to learn a new language abroad in the Netherlands and experience new cultures without a financial barrier. I proudly come from a family of Mexican immigrants; therefore, I feel empowered that people like me are able to partake in a change as great as this one.”
Spanish and Written Arts joint major Lisbet Jackson ’25, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $4,000 Gilman scholarship to study at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador via tuition exchange for spring 2024. “I am incredibly grateful to the Gilman Scholarship for supporting my semester in Ecuador and ensuring I can commit to developing my Spanish, studying literature, and immersing myself in Ecuadorian culture. Thanks to the Gilman Scholarship I will also be more prepared to pursue a career in multilingual and global education,” says Jackson.
Sociology major Jennifer Woo ’25, from Brooklyn, New York, has been awarded a $3,500 Gilman scholarship to study at Bard College Berlin in Germany for spring 2024. “To be awarded this scholarship means to fully explore and pursue my dream of studying abroad with the freedom of having the financial support I hoped for,” says Woo. “My dad is an artist who has always pushed me to travel and search for culture, the arts, and new experiences, so being able to fulfill this dream while having the resources of education means the world to me.”
German Studies major David Taylor-Demeter ’25, from Budapest, Hungary, has been awarded a $5,000 Gilman scholarship to study at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany via tuition exchange for spring 2024. “To combine my studies of German language and literature with a day-to-day experience of Berlin is an invaluable opportunity,” says Taylor-Demeter.
Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 41,000 Gilman Scholars from all US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other US territories have studied or interned in more than 160 countries around the globe. The Department of State awarded more than 3,600 Gilman scholarships during the 2022-2023 academic year.
The late Congressman Gilman, for whom the scholarship is named, served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. When honored with the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2002, he said, “Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views but adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”
The Gilman Program is sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). To learn more, visit: gilmanscholarship.org.
Post Date: 12-15-2023
Bard Student Jackson Lopez ’24 Wins 2023 Hudson Political Studies Summer Fellowship and Hertog Fellowship in Security Studies
US Capitol Building, Washington, DC. Photo: Andrew Bossi, CC BY-SA 3.0
Jackson Lopez ’24, who is majoring in global and international studies with a focus on international relations, has been awarded the Hudson Political Studies Summer Fellowship and Hertog Fellowship in Security Studies in Washington, DC. During their six-week fellowship in the nation's capital, Hudson Political Studies Fellows take courses led by master teachers, policy workshops directed by field experts and experienced government officials, and a distinguished speaker series of exemplary figures from public life. Hudson fellows receive complimentary housing and a $3000 stipend. Lopez will also take two weeks of intensive seminars focused on the most difficult national security challenges the United States faces today as part of the Hertog Security Studies fellowship. “No matter my career track, I know a sound public policy foundation will be necessary to tackle complex questions,” says Lopez. Lopez has previously interned for the US Department of State and will be studying in New York City as part of the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program. After graduation, Lopez, who is from San Francisco, California, plans to pursue graduate studies abroad.