Nikkya Hargrove ’05.

Nikkya Hargrove ’05 Interviewed in Bomb Magazine

Nikkya Hargrove ’05, a member of the Bard College Alumni/ae Association Board of Governors and Lambda Literary Nonfiction Fellow, was interviewed by Bomb magazine about her memoir, Mama. In the book, Hargrove tells the story of her decision to adopt her newborn baby brother Jonathan after their incarcerated mother died, and how she set out, with her wife Dinushka, to create the kind of family she never had. “I think the calling to be Jonathan’s mother was nothing short of spiritual,” Hargrove said.

Montoia Murray reacts as she is called the winner of the 29th Annual MLK Jr. Oratory Competition. Photo by Lexi Parra ’18 for the Houston Landing 

Lexi Parra ’18 Contributes Photo Essay for MLK Jr. Day to the Houston Landing

Lexi Parra ’18, a photo editor with the Houston Landing, contributed a MLK Jr. Day photo essay to mark a community competition for young orators. The event was held on January 17 in Houston, Chicago, and Dallas, and students responded to the question “What would Dr. King tell us about our responsibility as citizens and leaders in America today?”

Clockwise from top left: Bard College Gilman Scholars Brenda Lopez ’26, Dashely Julia ’26, Adelaide Driver ’26, Nyla Lawrence ’26, Ezra Calderon ’25.

Five Bard College Students Win Gilman International Scholarships to Study Abroad

Five Bard College students, Ezra Calderon ’25, Adelaide Driver ’26, Dashely Julia ’26, Nyla Lawrence ’26, and Brenda Lopez ’26, 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.

Celeste Connell ’26.

Celeste Connell ’26 Wins 2024 Dante Prize

Bard student Celeste Connell ’26 has won the 2024 Dante Prize, a longstanding award bestowed by the Dante Society of America for the best essay on the Italian poet Dante Alighieri by an undergraduate in the US or Canada. Connell, a junior in classical studies and literature at Bard, was awarded the prize for her essay “Lucan’s Exiles: Solitude and Moral Vision in the Commedia.”

Aleksandar Vitanov ’25. Photo by Jonathan Asiedu '24

Bard College Student Aleksandar Vitanov ’25 Named a Schwarzman Scholar

Bard College senior Aleksandar Vitanov ’25 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.