Dear Families,

Hello from Annandale.

It was fun to be on campus for Monday’s solar eclipse. Although we were not in the path of totality, we still had an incredible view from near Kline. The Physics Program and Physics Club provided filtered eclipse glasses for direct viewing, telescopes with solar filters, projection systems and pin-hole cameras. It was wonderful to see so many students outside enjoying the moment. There are more amazing photos on our Instagram, @bardfamilynetwork.

Congratulations to our Senior Families! You and your student are in the home stretch. Registration for Bard College’s 164th Commencement is open. I encourage the families of graduating students to register now, as the deadline is Monday, May 6th. We are excited that renowned earth scientist Naomi Oreskes will be our speaker. The ceremony will begin at 2:30pm on Saturday, May 25th, and the tent will open at 1pm for seating. Please note that seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information on Commencement, visit: families.bard.edu/commencement/

Bard students continue to impress this April. Be sure to read the “Bardian Newsmakers” below for highlights on their recent achievements. #bardianandproud

Best wishes,
Sasha Boak-Kelly

P.S. Every year, support from families and friends helps make it possible for Bard to educate courageously in Annandale. Please consider a gift to Bard before our fiscal year ends on June 30th. 

Two Bard Students Named as Recipients of the Barry 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.

Bard College Student Melonie Bisset ’24 Wins Critical Language Scholarship for Foreign Language Study Abroad

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. Bisset will study Portuguese at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bard College Senior Nine Reed-Mera ’24 Wins Prestigious Watson Travel Fellowship

Continuing its tradition of expanding the vision and developing the potential of remarkable young leaders, the Thomas J. Watson Foundation has selected Bard College senior Nine Reed-Mera as one of 35 students in the 56th Class of Watson Fellows. Each fellow receives a grant of $40,000 for 12 months of travel and independent study. A biology and written arts double major, Reed-Mera will spend her Watson year in the United Kingdom, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia exploring extremophiles, which are organisms that survive the nearly unsurvivable—volcanic magma, the depths of polar ice, and the vastness of outer space.

Bard College Students Receive Two $10,000 Projects for Peace Summer Grants

Two groups of Bard students have been awarded 2024 Projects for Peace Summer Grants, which provide student leaders awards of $10,000 to implement a Project for Peace. 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 children’s workshops around music, theater, and storytelling. 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.

Bard Alumnae Michelle Reynoso ’22 and Julia Sheffler ’22 Honored by National Science Foundation

Bard alumna Michelle Reynoso ’22 (BHSEC Manhattan ’18) has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of her graduate work in materials research at Columbia University. Julia Sheffler ’22 has also been awarded an honorable mention by the NSF for her work in astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.