Student teStimonialS2010 - 2011

A Letter from the Director

This sixty-eight page booklet demonstrates the wide range of research and in-ternship activities undertaken in Europe by undergraduate and graduate stu-dents during the breaks in the academic year and during the summer. Includedare testimonials from undergraduates who earned special recognition as recip-ients of the R. Stephen and Ruth Barrett Grant for Best Proposal, the Katie MurphyMcMahon Grant for Russian and East-Central European Studies, and the Charles C.Price Memorial Grant for East-Central European Studies.

Our Institute takes pride in giving students the opportunity to elevate theiracademic work and connect with the history and culture of Europe in an in-tense, productive way. Their educational experience becomes much more so-phisticated as they learn how original research is actually done. Each studentwrites a detailed proposal and includes a budget to justify why he or she wishesto travel to Europe to undertake research or an internship. Some work one-on-one with faculty members on term papers, senior theses, and articles for publi-cation.

After they think through intellectual issues and complete their independentprojects, our recipients take particular delight in sharing their experiences withclassmates. We frequently hear from students’ faculty advisors that these travelexperiences contribute greatly to the excellence of senior theses and disserta-tions. Given their sincere quest to engage in travel and research, and their de-sire to enrich their educational experience at Notre Dame, we are pleased tosend these students abroad as ambassadors for Notre Dame and their country.

A. James McAdamsDirector and William M. Scholl Professor of International Affairs

For More InformationThe opportunities represented in this collection were supported by the friends

and benefactors of The Nanovic Institute for European Studies.If you would like to learn more about our programs, please visit our website

at http://nanovic.nd.edu or call us at 574-631-5253.

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Student Testimonials, 2010/11

“My experience in London was life-changing.Writing is about tapping into a world outsidereality, getting out of your comfort zone, walk-ing into secret doorways and monster shops,and getting to know the world in a way younever have before. I was sitting among someof the most literary people in London. Imet volunteers who were editors for RandomHouse and Penguin Books; I met a children’sscriptwriter from the BBC; I met a cover illus-trator of fiction novels. . . ”

Felicia AguirreClass of ’11, Major in English

“The research I’ve undertaken will continue tobe an important part of my academic interestsnext year. My professor and I are hoping tounderstand where these Irish islands’ medievalmonastic inhabitants came from. If the projectgoes as expected, our findings could shed lighton the composition of the Irish monastic move-ment. These medieval people and the land-scape they created still shape the culture ofmodern Ireland, and the local understandingand interpretation of this study will certainly bepart of my future research.”

Elise AlonziClass of ’12, Majors in Environmental Science andAnthropology

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“I am indebted to the Institute for allowing meto deepen my understanding of the Portugueselanguage, history, and culture. This experiencehas taught me more than I could have possiblyimagined. My interests in Portuguese postcolo-nialism has only grown, and I have a new per-spective and clearer idea of modern-day per-ceptions of it. I am eternally grateful for hav-ing been given the best summer of my life andan entirely new perspective on my Portuguesestudies. ”

Ruby AmezquitaClass of ’12, Major in Political Science

“My on-site research in Italy was more fruitfulthan I could have hoped. My sincerest thanksgo to the Institute for giving me the opportunityto experience these remarkable works of FraAngelico’s firsthand. No visual reproduction,no matter how sophisticated, can properly con-vey the texture, size, and true color palette ofa painting, nor can it capture the precise light-ing effects created by virtue of the work’s place-ment in its original setting. I was able to ob-serve all this and more while in Italy, and dueto the fact that I examined his Annunciationsin immediate succession, I was able to establishimportant comparisons among the works.”

Kirsten AppleyardMasters Candidate, Art, Art History, & Design

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“I had the opportunity to present my senior the-sis at the 44th Annual UNIV Congress, an in-ternational conference of college students andprofessors, during Holy Week in Rome. Thiswas an important learning experience in manydifferent ways. It was an important profes-sional learning experience, a valuable immer-sion into European culture, and a spiritually en-riching week. Having taken a whole class ded-icated to reading the works of Joseph CardinalRatzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, as well as hav-ing read many of his works in other classes, itwas an amazing opportunity to be able to seehim four out of my seven full days in Rome.”

Elliott ArgueClass of ’11, Majors in Philosophy and Theology

“This summer was the most amazing summerof my life. I met so many new people, saw somany beautiful things, and lived life like I hadnever lived it before. Going abroad opened myeyes to the ways that I can make a differenceon a global scale, and I am so excited aboutwhat the future holds for me. The lessons that Ilearned while living overseas are ones that sim-ply cannot be taught in a classroom. My in-ternship with the Save Venice organization wasvery rewarding.”

Danielle ArthurClass of ’13, Majors in Political Science and Italian

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“I participated in the Early Book Society con-ference in York, England, a small, discipline-specific conference on medieval Englishmanuscripts and early printed books. It wasa conference populated largely by the well-respected, senior scholars in the field, whoproved a receptive and helpful audience formy paper. It was, moreover, a conferencevery much on the pulse of current debate inthe discipline, full of panels that proposedinnovative, and at times quite controversialresearch. It was a conference at which you feltthe discipline move around you, and a numberof the papers suggested further paths thatmy own archival work might fruitfully follow.Following the conference, I traveled back downto London to spend the remainder of my timeworking in the archives of the British Library.”

Sarah BaechleDoctoral Candidate, English

“With the Institute’s support, I actually recov-ered the lost European art of scagliola, a faux-marble technique based on shattered al frescoplaster, obscure pigments, wax, and linseedoil—not paint. Looking closely at archivalsources, I was able to produce a 14”x36” ex-ample of scagliola and, by carefully recordingmy trials and errors, establish workable pro-portions for all materials and a solid procedure.I then sanded and polished it to a mirror-likesheen with a combination of Tripoli polish andbeeswax, resulting in an uncanny facsimile ofRosato Nembro marble found primarily foundnear Verona, Italy. The example is now on dis-play in the School of Architecture.”

Matthew BalkeyClass of ’11, Major in Architecture

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“The most remarkable portions of my trip tothe Abbey of St-Martin-du-Canigou, are thingsthat I can describe with words, but never ade-quately convey their meaning or the reality oftheir experience. An old man excited to meet ayoung seminarian. A father remembering howto make the sign of the cross. A young girlhappy to see that nuns still exist. Her older sis-ter praying earnestly with her eyes squeezedshut. A youthful man humbled before theBlessed Sacrament. Another, who only askedfor prayers. A little boy silenced by the quietof a church. And many people who came to theAbbey seeking architecture and culture, but leftwith a sense of something greater. Like them,I came to the Abbey of Saint Martin seeking aprayerful retreat and an opportunity to serve,but left with a sense of something greater.”

Stephen BaranyClass of ’13, Majors in Philosophy and IndustrialDesign

“Being in Italy for over two months not onlyamplified my passion for the Italian languageand culture but also affirmed my decision to goto medical school. For the first four weeks ofmy program, I was the only American in mylanguage class. Once a week, I received a two-hour private lesson to learn health-related andmedical terminology in preparation for my in-ternship. After four weeks, I started my intern-ship in orthopedics at Siena’s regional hospital.It was a pre-med student’s dream come true. Iwas able to discover Italy’s public health caresystem on a first-hand basis. . . Over a month af-ter returning to the United States, my dreamsare still in Italian. I take this as a sign that I willgo back one day to the country that has a specialplace in my heart.”

Elizabeth BarronClass of ’13, Majors in Psychology and Pre-Professional Studies

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“Modernism, a movement explicitly commit-ted to the rejection of tradition, went from be-ing an obscure philosophy of central Europeanorigin to being the dominant approach of archi-tectural academies worldwide. This movementencouraged novelty not only in aesthetics butalso in matters of building construction. Thisfocus on novelty in construction has resultedin an unsustainable architecture and a buildingculture that is actually destructive to our com-munities. Albert Simons and Raymond Erithwere two architects who resisted this trend. Bynow, many of their contemporaries’ modernistbuildings have become derelict, in need of ei-ther major over-haul or complete replacemen.I have seen in great detail how Simons’ andErith’s buildings have, by contrast, stood thetest of time.”

Jenny BevanMasters Candidate, Architecture

“My experience abroad was more pleasant andexciting than I could have dreamed. I met Fr.Flannery at the Gregorian University in Rome.We had a cappuccino and discussed some ofthe finer points of my senior thesis in Philos-ophy. He agreed to look over parts of it for meand offer his feedback. Philosophical inquiriesare furthered in a very special way by dialogue.The opportunity to share my ideas with a greatintellectual who shares and ponders the sameissues was an experience I will never forget andforever treasure. Coupling that with the over-all experience of being in Rome, which I haveso longed to see given my vocation, I want toexpress my deep gratitude.”

Michael BlackClass of ’11, Major in Honors Philosophy

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“As an engineer, I am very interested in therise and fall of the economy as it relates totechnology and engineering. It was fascinat-ing to interview engineers in Ireland to seehow their jobs and lives have been affected andhow they will continue to change. I researchedover spring break, roughly two weeks after thebiggest election Ireland had seen, and I believeconducting research at this crucial point in Irishhistory was invaluable. Not only did I learnabout the Irish economy and engineering’s rolein society, but in ten days of being immersed inthe culture, I gained invaluable knowledge ofwhat modern Ireland is really like.”

Alex BollClass of ’12, Major in Mechanical Engineering

“Arriving in Italy was a dream come true. Andthen everything changed. Stepping into thetrain station in Pisa, full of commotion, peopleyelling, a long line of people at the ticket of-fice, all with panic in their eyes. . . The tired taxidriver, the stressed woman with her three smallchildren, and the grumpy lady behind the ticketoffice all said the same thing: sciopero! Strike.No trains would be running today. Just byluck, I overheard two girls mention the words“Siena” and “taxi.” From that point, time flewby. In Siena, not only was I able to improve myItalian more drastically than I thought was pos-sible in a few short weeks, but I gained a newsense of independence and self-confidence thatI know I will carry with me for the rest of mylife.”

Maegan BoucherClass of ’14, Majors in Accounting and RomanceLanguages & Literatures

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“The objective of my travels throughout Italywas to gather information on how a Eucharis-tic theology is experienced outside of the Massthrough pilgrimage experiences. This researchwas conducted in preparation for my synthesisseminar, my final thesis in the Master of Divin-ity program, which will analyze how the Bodyof Christ is built up in the world. I compiled in-terviews with concrete examples of how a Eu-charistic theology is experienced outside of theMass, especially in Italian pilgrimage. In addi-tion, since my return to campus, members ofmy program are now more aware of the po-tentially fruitful partnership between Theologyand European Studies.”

Margaret BouffardMasters Candidate, Theology

“I determined that if I were to create a bilin-gual comic book that gave Irish speakers notonly a way to use the Irish language, but alsoprovided them with a glimpse of what Irelandand its people would look like in the absence ofGaeilge, then perhaps the vulnerable Irish lan-guage would be one step closer to narrowingthe gap between competence and use. WhatI did not expect to learn or experience was anearly unconditional love and passion for theIrish language. There is something so out-wardly beautiful about being greeted by a com-plete stranger walking opposite of you on thestreet with “Dia duit.” In direct translation, itmeans, “Let God be upon you.” To let a lan-guage like this die would not only be a severecultural loss to the people of Ireland, but alsoan artistic loss.”

Kathleen BrackeClass of ’13, Major in Film, Television, & Theatre

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“It was helpful for my understanding of PaulKlee as an artist and man to spend time in thetown and environment that was so importantto him. Bern, Switzerland, is a World HeritageSite, so it has literally not changed for hundredsof years. The view of the city from the hillsand the Old Town architecture is exactly howit would have been during Klee’s lifetime. Itmade it easier for me as a researcher to get in-side the artist’s head and allowed me to literallysee a little slice of the world through his eyes.”

Laura BradleyClass of ’11, Major in Art History

“The Institute gave me the financial and aca-demic support to carry out a dream: to act ina Shakespeare play in London. Now, when Icome back to the city, I won’t be a stranger. AndI might be coming back to the city sooner ratherthan later. On the last day of performances,our director made an announcement to the cast.The directors at the Rose Theatre enjoyed ourproduction so much, they wanted to find a wayto bring it back to the stage for an encore per-formance.”

Nicholas Brandt (at right)Class of ’12, Majors in Program of Liberal Studiesand Theatre

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“As an undergraduate at the American Anthro-pological Association meeting in New Orleans,Louisiana, which brings thousands of anthro-pologists together to present their research, Ipresented a paper in a session on “EmbodyingHeritage.” This was my first experience in pre-senting a paper at the professional level, andit was an incredible learning experience in thepreparation of a conference paper as well as inpresenting my research to the academic pub-lic. As I am applying to graduate school forthe fall, attending this conference was an in-valuable opportunity to meet professors fromgraduate programs that I am interested in, andto discuss the course of study at their universi-ties.”

Claire BrownClass of ’11, Major in Anthropology

“I was able to conduct two weeks of archivalresearch in Dublin this summer. This researchwill compose part of my dissertation, investi-gating the relationship between women and theIrish Free State between 1922-1937, in particu-lar how the questions of nationalism, politicalactivism, and gender intersected in the lives ofIrish women. I found a treasure-trove of infor-mation.”

Keelin BurkeDoctoral Candidate, History

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“One day in March, I woke up in South Bend,Indiana, and went to bed in County Wexford,Ireland. This fact alone would have beenenough to get me excited, but it barely scratchesthe surface of the experiences that I had thanksto the support provided me. When I appliedfor my grant I listed my pursuit as “service” be-cause I knew that the type of research I was hop-ing to pursue was a bit atypical compared toscientific studies or historical exploration, but Iended up learning more than I ever could haveimagined. All in all I could not be more pleasedabout all that I gained. Not only will my class-room work soar beyond what it would havebeen, but so will my experience at Notre Dame.I was changed as a learner, as a minister, and asa person.”

Colin CampbellClass of ’13, Major in Philosophy

“The art historical research I gathered duringthis trip to Florence and Paris was met withgreat appreciation and encouragement by thedirection of Villa La Pietra in Florence, espe-cially by its collection manager. In fact, shehas invited me to return to the Villa next fallto present my findings to her Museum Studiesclass, and perhaps to the Villa’s administration.It is my hope to do just that over fall break whilewriting up my findings as a senior thesis.”

Felicia CaponigriClass of ’12, Majors in Art History and Music

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“The experience of living in Berlin was irre-placeable. Since the Office of InternationalStudies cancelled Notre Dame’s Innsbruck pro-gram the year I had applied to it, and I wasunable to participate in a true ‘study abroad’year or semester program, I used this experi-ence to immerse myself in the German culturecompletely. Since our student apartments werenot equipped with internet access (a terribledistraction for a student abroad!), I spent muchof my free time exploring the city, visiting mu-seums, sightseeing, and speaking and readingGerman everywhere I went. This trip was in-valuable to me, and I learned not only in theclassroom, but also in the city itself.”

Amanda CarterClass of ’12, Majors in Graphic Design and German

“Before my summer in Paris I had a fairly de-cent ability to read French, but was very poor atspeaking it. The primary reason for my want-ing to improve my ability is academic. As astudent of Theology with a specific interest inEastern Orthodoxy, being highly proficient inFrench is necessary. I will eventually be apply-ing to Ph.D. programs in Theology, and thanksto my improved French, I will also be applyingto schools in French-speaking Canada, Franceand Belgium. Whether I eventually live in aFrancophone country or not, my strengthenedability in French is, and will continue to be, anindispensable part of my academic pursuits.”

Jonathan CirauloMaster of Arts Candidate, Theology

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“I was able to travel to Paris over spring breakto shoot a short documentary about Paris streetmusicians with my friend. During our week inParis, our plans for the documentary changedand matured as we met an incredibly diverseand entirely fascinating group of street musi-cians and performers. While we had initiallyset out to attempt to compose original musicwith the performers we met, as we met moreand more artists throughout the week, our vi-sion changed from trying to do something totrying to learn as much as we could.”

Kyle CollinsClass of ’12, Major in Mechanical Engineering

“I lived for eight weeks in Saint Petersburg,Russia, studying Russian language at GertzenUniversity. The experience deepened my com-mitment to the language but also provided fod-der for my development as a fiction writer. Ihad imagined Russia to resemble the novelsof my literary role model, Dostoevsky, and Iwas strangely expecting to meet characters likeRaskolnikov and the Underground Man. Thisvision was romantic and inaccurate. When myimage of shadowy, swampy Saint Petersburgwas dashed by its reality of being a modern,commercial city, I had to confront my romanticpoint of view in my own philosophy and fictionwriting. The disillusionment about place thatI had dreamed about informed my thinkingabout the nature of dreams and reality whichare so vital to fiction writers as dream-weavers.The pressing obstacles that I encountered inRussia will be incorporated into my thesis, anovel.”

Leah ComingClass of ’13, Majors in English and Russian

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“No amount of preparation could have ad-equately readied us for our journey on theCamino de Santiago. In a way, our whole liveswere preparation for our week together, walk-ing, sharing, learning, praying, loving, andgrowing. This intense experience of a livingtheology of pilgrimage can hardly be put intosatisfactory words. It was what we expectedand so much more. I want to continue explor-ing. Notre Dame has been a Way, of sorts. Myfinal destination has not been graduation butmy career and the person I am called to becomebeyond here. The Camino de Santiago took usas we were (ready or not) and brought us to-gether and to exactly where we needed to be.Notre Dame has done the same. And for that, Ipraise God with my entire being.”

Julianne CorrotoClass of ’11, Major in Biochemistry

“I traveled to Paris this June to attend an inter-national seminar in the philosophy of mathe-matics. The month-long course, titled “Simplic-ity and Complexity of Proof,” was the second ofits kind in what is planned to be an annual se-ries, hosted jointly by the University of NotreDame, the University of Paris 7, the Universityof Nancy, and the Ecole Normale Superieure, un-der the direction of Notre Dame philosopherMichael Detlefsen. It was a wonderful way toget to know, and get to know the ideas of, schol-ars from the US, the UK, France, Russia, Aus-tralia, and elsewhere. I may never have other-wise interacted with many of them.”

Jordan CorwinDoctoral Candidate, Philosophy

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“For the past four years, I have intimately stud-ied the lives of the great composers that definethe history of Western music. These men have,in a way, created and fostered my Notre Dameexperience, and having the chance to share atleast a piece of their world in Vienna was an op-portunity I will not soon forget. This experiencewould not have been nearly as overwhelming ifI had visited Vienna earlier in my musical stud-ies. As a senior, these experiences will stronglyinfluence my performance of my current recitalrepertoire, our Mozart opera, a potential re-search performance on Berg, and my final per-formance of Mozart’s Ach, ich fuhl’s at the SeniorCommencement Concert. Thank you so muchfor this incredible experience.”

Daniel Crupi (at far left)Class of ’11, Major in Music

“I had the opportunity to attend and present anoriginal paper with my co-author, a professor,at the ‘Three Country Meeting’ sponsored bythe Austrian, German, and Swiss political sci-ence associations at the University of Basel inBasel, Switzerland. The theme of the confer-ence was ‘Political Integration.’ The commentsthat we received from our panel’s discussantand other members of the workshop provedquite useful and will help guide us as we sub-stantially revise our study and correspondingmanuscript for future publication. The confer-ence provided a great opportunity to networkwith other young scholars based in Europe whoare engaging in compelling research. As a re-sult, I have made plans to meet with several ofmy co-presenters at the upcoming Midwest Po-litical Science Association Meeting in April, andI look forward to working with them again inthe future.”’

Chad Kiewiet de JongeDoctoral Candidate, Political Science

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“My summer spent in London was one of themost incredible, enlightening, and exhilaratingeight weeks of my entire life. I was able topursue an internship as an Assistant Directorand Stage Manager for a professional produc-tion of Shakespeare’s Pericles to be performed atThe Rose Theatre in Kingston-on-Thames. Typ-ically, our rehearsals ran five days a week. Lon-don is a pretty incredible place to live for a pro-fessional theatre job. In fact, London is a prettyincredible place to live, period.”

Carolyn DemanelisClass of ’12, Majors in Film, Television, & Theatreand Arabic

“My trip to Vienna was the perfect capstone tomy major in classical voice. Five days of unin-terrupted saturation in the city that fostered theworks of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert,Schumann, Strauss and Mahler provided a fer-tile playing ground for four voice majors withseveral years of music history, theory, and per-formance practice under our belts. What madethis trip particularly effective was that our fac-ulty sponsor sent us with four guidebooks anda strict list of must-sees. One of our most mean-ingful experiences was a voice lesson with asoprano and voice teacher who spent an hourtelling us about the Viennese system of musi-cal education and then worked with each of usindividually. Our lesson with her was a veryauthentic taste of the Viennese music scene, be-cause she was so candid about how the systemworks.”

Stephanie DePrezClass of ’11, Major in Music

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“Beaver Island, Michigan, hosted a majorityIrish immigrant and descendent populationfrom about 1857-1903. Many of these immi-grants came from an island off the coast ofCounty Donegal called Arainn Mhor (Inish-more). With generous help from the Institute,I traveled to Inishmore with my two researchpartners. Archival research was a brand newexperience for me and it was certainly a reward-ing one. I am very grateful to have had this op-portunity. The research materials I gathered areproving invaluable to the project now that I amin the drafting phase of my Irish Studies cap-stone project.”

Rhiannon DukeClass of ’11, Major in Anthropology

“The Sixteenth Century Studies Conference(SCSC) is the single most important conferencein the field of early modern history. This wasmy first opportunity to present a paper at theSCSC. I was pessimistic about the prospects fora substantial audience when I discovered thatI was slotted to present at 8:30am on a Fridaymorning. But to my amazement, there wereover sixty-five scholars in attendance, coffeesin hand. This is a very large turnout by SCSCstandards, especially for panels that includePh.D. students. The audience included someof the leading scholars in the field of Reforma-tion Studies. Two scholars approached me af-ter my presentation to suggest that I publish thepaper, and I received an invitation from a dis-tinguished professor to present a spin-off paperat the American Academy of Religion Confer-ence in San Francisco next October. My trip toMontreal could not have gone any better. I amincredibly grateful to the Institute for its sup-port.”

Adam DukerDoctoral Candidate, History

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“This summer I took part in a two-monthinternship with British American Tobacco inHamburg, Germany. This experience was oneof the best so far in my life. I was able touse and improve my German language skillswhile learning aspects of international businessand finance. Thanks to the Nanovic Institute,I was able to achieve my summer goals andlearn more about myself as a student and per-son. Overall my experience this summer is onethat I will never forget. Through the contactsthat I established and the insights I gained intothe financial world, I now have an idea of what Iwant to do with my life after Notre Dame. Hadit not been for the generous support of the Insti-tute, I would not have been able to have this ex-perience and would still be wondering whetherlearning a foreign language was really worthit.”

Ian DuncanClass of ’13, Major in German

“By traveling to the places that are relevant to acomposer’s life—in this case, Frederic Chopin’sjourney to Mallorca—I was able to learn a greatdeal more about what occurred during thattime of composition. This research trip not onlycontributed to my factual knowledge, but alsogave me a less tangible but deep understand-ing and helped to raise new questions. I nowunderstand more fully the value of going to thesource and making use of primary resources inunderstanding and writing on a topic. I owe agreat deal to the Institute for its generous sup-port of this project.”

Jacques DupuisClass of ’11, Majors in Music and Italian

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“I attended the Centro Italiano di Studi sull’AltoMedioevo’s annual conference on a medievalinterdisciplinary topic in Spoleto, Italy. Theconference not only gave me the opportunityto hear lectures from noted medievalists fromaround the globe, but it also gave me the chanceto practice my Italian in a conference settingand to share memorable experiences with Ital-ian medievalist graduate students. What Ifound particularly interesting was that the lec-tures were not necessarily designed to presentsomething “new.” There are other conferencesfor that purpose. Most of the professors wereconsidered experts in their field, so the goal wasto produce a series of high-quality, up-to-datelectures on foundational topics. This makes it aparticularly useful conference for graduate stu-dents.”

Lesley-Anne DyerDoctoral Candidate, Medieval Institute

“Thanks to the funding I received from the In-stitute, I was able to spend eight weeks in Paristhis summer. The purpose of this trip was toperfect my speaking skills in French so that Icould continue my studies in the Masters pro-gram here at Notre Dame. Studying in Pariswas extremely beneficial in improving my vo-cabulary, accent and fluidity in speaking. Asa Masters student I teach French 101; this classwas helpful in preparing me to speak with en-ergy and emotion in front of my class.”

Amanda ElsnerClass of ’11, Major in French; Masters Candidate,Romance Languages & Literatures

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“I took part in a Summer Institute for FrenchOrgan Studies (SIFOS). Six students spent thefirst week in the Angevin Gothic Cathedral ofSt. Pierre in Poitiers, where we attended lec-tures and master classes with veteran organ-builder Gene Bedient and French music special-ist Jesse Eschbach. We presented our work in apublic recital. The second week proceeded ac-cording to the same arrangement at the parishchurch of Notre Dame in Epernay, in the heartof Champagne. Our student group enjoyed apronounced esprit de corps that enabled us toplay, observe, assist and otherwise offer com-ments and suggestions to each other in an en-thusiastic and strongly collegial atmosphere.”

Michael EmmerichMasters Candidate, Theology & Sacred Music

“After hearing so many stories about JeanVanier’s L’Arche community in Cork, Ireland,I wanted to see it for myself. My intent was towitness how the L’Arche community model en-ables those with intellectual disabilities to exer-cise virtue in ways that only a community can,not an institution. As a result of my experiencethere, I left Ireland with a new understandingof sacrifice, commitment, and joy. This grantopened up to me so much more than a country.It opened up the simple fact that each day weare all assistants to one another. Gaining thatnew vision has lent me a revitalized idea aboutour common call as members of the same hu-man family.”

Raquel FalkClass of ’13, Major in the Program of Liberal Studies

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“Conducting research in Dublin was a uniqueexperience. I needed permission to accessmany of the resources, and being a studentopened many doors and opportunities. At theNational Library, I had to register and explainmy reason for wanting to conduct research. Iwas granted research passes to access the mainlibrary hall. It was a challenge at first to learnthe Irish system for book acquisitions. It wasnecessary to fill out a sheet with the book infor-mation and that sheet was then given to run-ners who brought the sources to your table. Inthe end, I grew to really appreciate this sys-tem and the environment of quiet and tranquilscholarship.”

Bianca FernandezClass of ’11, Major in Anthropology

“I was able to present my paper on the Alexan-der Romance at the Symposium on Byzantineand Ottoman Civilizations at Istanbul SehirUniversity. My paper was extraordinarily well-received and will be published by the Journal ofWorld History. It would truly be impossible toexplain the full impact that this educational tripalready has and will continue to have upon myacademic and professional development.”

Jennifer FoxDoctoral Candidate, Ph.D. in Literature

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“The Early Book Society’s Twelfth biennial con-ference held at the University of York this sum-mer was easily one of the most intellectuallystimulating and rewarding conferences I haveattended. This gathering also gave me the op-portunity to present a piece of an article I haveunderway to a group of well-respected schol-ars in the field of manuscript studies, who re-sponded to my work positively. During thistrip, I also witnessed the reunion of a beau-tiful Nicholas Love manuscript, owned by aJapanese professor who carried it with him toEngland in a briefcase, with its original homeat Mount Grace Priory after three hundred andninety-nine years. This memory will foreverbe one of my most cherished academic experi-ences.”

Karrie FullerDoctoral Candidate, English

“Because of the funding I received from theInstitute, I was able to interview the head ofthe Department of Economics at Trinity Col-lege and a member of the Central Bank of Ire-land about the financial crisis of 2008. Beingat Trinity’s campus made me realize that it ispotentially a school I could attend after grad-uation. Previously I had no interest in apply-ing there, but now it is one of the schools I amlooking into. I am also applying for the MitchellScholarship, a full-ride scholarship to any two-year graduate program in Ireland. This is nota scholarship I would have even considered ifnot for my experience in Ireland, thanks to thefunding I received from the Institute.”

Mitch GainerClass of ’12, Major in Economics

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“For three weeks in Paris, I planned to doresearch for my doctoral dissertation, whichlooks at the beginnings of the physical the-ater movement through a philosophical analy-sis of its French founder, Jacques Copeau. Myspecific goal was to find a text that links himwith Maria Montessori, another European ge-nius whose educational philosophy has Aris-totelian roots. Not only did I achieve this goal,but the cultural and scholarly experience it-self opened new vistas, opportunities for mak-ing connections and friends, and ways of inter-preting my evidence that I never would havethought possible.”

Margaret (Peggy) GarveyDoctoral Candidate, Ph.D. in Literature

“My internship in Dublin, Ireland, allowed methe opportunity to pursue career opportunitieswhile at the same time experiencing an interest-ing and different culture. The experiment thatI worked on tried to find the best way to alignCdTe nanoparticles on an aluminum oxide sub-strate in order to learn more about the proper-ties of these particles. Another way in whichthis abroad experience will help my future isin my relations to other physicists. Physics isa very international area. Notre Dame itself isin collaboration with Trinity, the school where Ihad my internship. Creating these bonds withforeign professors, as well as learning aboutand experiencing the cultures and countries ofmy future peers and coworkers, was an amaz-ing opportunity.”

Kathryn GerbichClass of ’12, Majors in Physics and Mathematics

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“I spent a month attending the Summer Schoolof Slovene Language in Ljubljana, Slovenia.This provided me with the opportunity to trulylearn the language of my heritage. I had al-ready gone to Slovenia multiple times and stillnot fully understood the language; therefore,being able to attend the summer school wasthe best way for me to finally speak Slovenefluently. I plan to use my knowledge ofthe Slovene language for my thesis research.Studying in Slovenia this summer was certainlya life-changing and amazing educational expe-rience!”

Christine GormanClass of ’14, Majors in Economics and Chinese

“I was able to travel to Rome over fall break toconduct history research, learn first-hand aboutthe culture of Italy, and enhance my languageskills through common interactions with Ital-ians. I was also able to gain a better under-standing of some of the problems and influ-ences that affected the process of Italian uni-fication. This experience encouraged my de-sire to study abroad in Bologna during springsemester next year.”

John GreaneyClass of ’13, Majors in History and Italian

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“Theatre has always been a powerful platformfor change in Prague, dating from the days ofVaclav Havel, a dissenter from the Commu-nist regime, to the explorations and stylistic ap-proaches of modern-day Czech theatre. The-atre, art, and society are such visceral, imme-diate entities, it was difficult to grasp qualitiesthat are unique to Prague until I was fortunateenough to experience it for myself. The abilityto stay in Prague and be part of this unique artsexperience—visiting galleries, seeing live per-formances, and interviewing local artists—hasprofoundly shaped and guided my research onthe tenuous relationship between Czech art andgovernment.”

Sarah GrothausClass of ’11, Major in Film, Television, & Theatre

“My internship with the US Department ofState at the Consulate in Istanbul was my dreaminternship. I worked as part of a dynamicteam on the front lines of US foreign policy.I conducted daily research for my supervisor,a Foreign Service officer who covered humanrights, religion, women’s rights and minorityissues in Turkey. I attended conferences of in-terest to our Washington audience and wrote adiplomatic cable on the Kurdish issue in lightof Turkey’s national elections in June. I con-tributed research on media coverage of domes-tic violence to a cable that was circulated atthe highest levels of the department. I learnedskills and made contacts that will help me pur-sue a career in international affairs.”

Melissa GuinanClass of ’12, Major in Political Science

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“This summer I spent ten incredible weeks par-ticipating in a research internship sponsored bythe German Student Exchange Service throughthe Research Internships in Science and Engi-neering program. Professionally, this has dras-tically increased my understanding of Euro-pean culture, which I believe will increase myhiring potential in today’s highly competitive,international engineering job market. I am verylucky to have been blessed with this opportu-nity. Without the help of the Institute, I wouldnot have been able to cultivate and establishso many friendships and professional contactsthat will help me both personally and profes-sionally in the future. College presents a uniqueopportunity for individuals to take themselvesoutside of their comfort zones and try new ex-periences. Working abroad is a great way to dothis.”

William Conor HawesClass of ’13, Major in Mechanical Engineering

“This summer I spent the months of July andAugust in Grenoble, France. The main purposeand focus of my trip was French language ac-quisition, but the lessons in French history andculture, especially of the Rhone-Alps region,proved to be not only enjoyable aspects of mytime abroad but significant reinforcements ofthe gains made in French language comprehen-sion. The reason for my study of the French lan-guage was for the benefit of my dissertation re-search. In the field of early and medieval Chris-tianity, much of the important secondary liter-ature is in French, and many ancient works re-main only in modern French translation. Thissummer experience has led me to hope for anopportunity to spend, not several weeks, butseveral months, if possible, in France in thecoming years.”

Hannah HemphillDoctoral Candidate, Department of Theology

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“I am preparing the first modern critical edi-tion of a book of poetry written by Prosper ofAquitaine (d. ∼ 450). This first grant from theInstitute began something of a chain reaction.The research I did from initial microfilms ledme to apply for and receive grants from the Vat-ican Film Library at the University of St. Louisand the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library at St.John’s University in Minnesota. With this inmind, I prepared applications for two nationalcompetitions: the Fulbright Student Program toAustria and the Rome Prize from the AmericanAcademy in Rome. I recently heard that I wasawarded both grants and that I will spend theforthcoming academic year in residence at theAmerican Academy in Rome.”

Albertus HorstingDoctoral Candidate, Theology

“I had the opportunity to travel to Leuven, Bel-gium, and various cities in Ireland to conductresearch on the religious situation in modernEurope, giving specific attention to the currentmen in formation for the Catholic priesthood inthese countries. The method of research was tolive in community with the men of the Amer-ican College of Leuven, and of the seminaryat Saint Patrick’s in Maynooth, Ireland, to un-derstand the daily life of men in formation inthese countries. My research and experiencehas helped to put into perspective the bless-ings we of Holy Cross have here at Notre Dame.There are struggles for the Church around theworld, particularly in increasingly secular na-tions, but those struggles are not destroying thelife of the Church.”

Matthew HovdeClass of ’11, Majors in History and Theology

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“When I looked back at my experience at thesmall Italian village, I could not help regrettingthat I was unable to spend more time there. Ev-ery moment in the senior center contributed toa learning experience that led to self-reflectionand growth. I interacted with almost every pa-tient in the senior center. Helping the staff or-ganize the annual Refugio festival, distributingleaflets in the near town to advertise the festivalwith poor Italian, selling homemade jam on thelocal market to raise money for the center, cook-ing food after sunset with the volunteers fromMuslim countries during Ramadan, and travel-ing alone in Turin and Florence during week-ends and appreciating the delicate Renaissancesculptures all marked the unique aspects of myculture-learning experience in Italy.”

Ruoging HuangClass of ’13, Major in Accounting

“Arriving in Sofia, Bulgaria, on a crowdedLufthansa A320 from Frankfurt, I immediatelybegan to experience the culture shock that oc-curs every time I enter a formerly Communistnation. After only being in Sofia for a fewhours, however, I fell in love with my hostfamily and the people of this often overlookedBaltic nation. The purpose of my trip was toconduct an ethnographic research study of howconsumer-spending tendencies have changedsince the downfall of communism in the early1990s. Both of my hosts were economists underthe communist regime and often reminiscedabout their lives twenty years ago. By liv-ing with them, I was able to hear first-handhow their perspectives on the economy havechanged in the last twenty years and how thathas affected what, and where, they purchasethings.”

Morgan IddingsClass of ’13, Majors in Anthropology and Russian

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“I traveled to Rome during spring break toconduct archival research and site documenta-tion on the topic of Franciscan architectural his-tory. During spring break, I focused on unfold-ing a part of this story through architectural,artistic, and textual sources. One of my goalswas to gather primary and secondary sourcedocuments about the history of the division in1517 between the Conventual and ObservantFranciscans and its impact on the physical or-ganization of their churches, friaries, and theFranciscan presence in Rome today. This triphelped me complete my senior architecture the-sis, which is a design proposal for a Franciscanlibrary in Rome. I intend to continue researchbased on this experience in the context of grad-uate studies for architectural history at the Uni-versity of Virginia.”

Elizabeth IsraelClass of ’11, Major in Architecture

“The benefits of spending a summer at a Ger-man language institute impacted my life on twolevels. On the one hand, the summer greatlyimproved my German language skills, which Iwill need in pursuing my future academic goalsin historical musicology. But for me, such expe-riences went further: they made me even moreappreciative of the great works of art and cul-ture that have stood the test of time and theirability to challenge our thinking and enrich oursouls today. Cliche as it is, I learned more thana language this summer. I experienced a cul-ture, and I am a better person because of it. Iam more adventurous. I am more confident. Iam more ready to take on the world.”

Edward JacobsonClass of ’13, Major in Music History

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“As a recipient of an Internship and ServiceGrant, I traveled to Greece in order to workfor Caritas Hellas, the Greek branch of the in-ternational Catholic charity Caritas. Only afterworking side by side with volunteers as youngas fifteen and as old as seventy-five, servinginfants to elderly, did I feel like my educationcould be completed with a diploma. It did nottake more than a couple of weeks of workingat Caritas for me to feel its lasting effects. I hadfelt an inclination towards working in immigra-tion law that spurred me to volunteer in the firstplace, but I now understand that immigration isa working charity for the men and women whorisk their lives for legal status in a first-worldcountry.”

Martha Karam (third from left)Class of ’12, Majors in Anthropology and Greek &Roman Civilization

“This trip to France was extremely helpful tome in my research on the Monument of theHeart of Henri II. One of the most remarkableand important aspects of my research in theLouvre was the viewing of the original con-tact drawing, which would not have been avail-able to me elsewhere. I was also able to seeother monuments of a similar nature, whichhelped me to locate and understand style devel-opments and tendencies in the art of the FrenchRenaissance. My interactions with the monu-ments in their locations were also invaluable tome.”

Emma KesslerClass of ’12, Major in Art History and Supplemen-tary Major in Greek and Roman Civilization

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“I am currently attempting to analyze the rela-tionships between German national militarismand the Catholic minority within the SecondReich leading up to the First World War. Thetwo weeks of research in Munich this summerthat I undertook as a result of the Institute’ssupport were invaluable in the information anddevelopment I have obtained for my thesis. Itwas only through this experience that I wasable to gain proficiency in reading real exam-ples of German handwriting which, until then,I had studied only theoretically. Beyond this,the support of the Institute was crucial in givingme the time in Germany’s archives necessary tobuild experience in historical research. Thesewere invaluable opportunities for academic de-velopment that I could not have gained in theclassroom.”

Mark KettlerClass of ’12, Major in History

“In taking the time to document architecturaldetails in Greece, I unexpectedly learned muchabout the culture of the islands and cities I wasfortunate enough to visit. Not only do the peo-ple of Greece take great pride in the cities theylive in, but also in the buildings in which theydwell. They aren’t ashamed to share that pride.I embraced every opportunity I had to speakwith them. I didn’t have to try hard: I just hadto take out my sketchbook and begin to draw. Ican’t wait for the chance to get back to Italy andGreece to study more.”

Bryan KeveClass of ’11, Major in Architecture

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“It was odd to see a line of Georgian houses inDublin in which a house with broken windowsand graffiti stood next to a well-preserved one.The economic downturn that I read about in myIrish politics class was in full effect, coveringevery inch of Dublin. Seeing is believing, as thesaying goes, and I believed it then. Irish his-tory is a testament to the notion that change isinevitable. With the growing number of immi-grants, Ireland is changing once again. By get-ting to know the country through the eyes ofboth natives and foreigners, I got a firm graspof how history lives on in Ireland. In my thesis,I hope to capture this shared sense of citizen-ship from the trip in exploring Irish identity.”

Jungyong KimClass of ’11, Major in Industrial Design

“The five days I spent in Wexford, Ireland wereeye-opening for a number of reasons. I livedwithin a community of four volunteers who arespending ten months in Wexford. The purposeof their time and service is to serve the Churchas liturgical, music, and youth ministers. I re-alized that my gifts in music and youth/parishministry could greatly benefit the Church andschool community there. My interest in theHouse of Brigid service program has now be-come a passion, and I will definitely apply toserve there during my senior year. I am ex-tremely blessed to have had the opportunity tovisit Wexford through this grant. It has mademy future plans more realistic, hopeful, andpositive.”

Katie KleeClass of ’12, Major in Theology

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“My course in German script at the MoravianArchives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania will beenormously important for my future researchbecause the skills that I learned there will al-low me to access a wide range of handwrit-ten historical documents that I was previouslyunable to read. As I begin to plan primarysource research in German archives for my cur-rent projects and ultimately my dissertation, Iknow that I will consider my opportunity tolearn to read German script with the experts atthe Moravian Archives a godsend. I now havethe skills that I need to make sense of the piles ofhandwritten documents that I will surely haveto file through during my dissertation research.My experience at the Moravian Archives will becritically important to all of my future researchin German history.”

Jonathan KnowlesDoctoral Candidate, History

“As part of my abroad experience in the NotreDame London Program, and thanks to the as-sistance I received from the Institute, I com-pleted an internship in the UK Parliament thispast spring semester. This support allowed meto explore my interest in comparative politicsfirsthand. As my goal is to one day work forthe federal government, having the opportu-nity to work in the center of the government ofa foreign country was a once-in-a-lifetime expe-rience. I am immensely more knowledgeableabout the government and politics of the UK,British culture and society, and European poli-tics and culture in general.”

Amanda KozielClass of ’12, Major in Political Science

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“I received an Institute grant to present my pa-per at an international conference in Bochum,Germany, held at the Ruhr-Universitat in thefall. I presented the paper “Writing Sanctity:Thomas More as Literary Saint.” My inter-disciplinary approach can help us understandthis topic in a new light, and hopefully willcontribute to the growing understanding thatthe boundary between medieval and modernis not firm and absolute, and that our workneeds to adapt accordingly. This conferencewas an excellent professional experience. As itwas a small symposium, I had the opportunityto speak at length with several very importantscholars in the fields of medieval literary stud-ies, hagiography, and art history.”

Anna LarsenDoctoral Candidate, Medieval Institute

“My participation in the Settimana di Studio,sponsored by the Centro Italiano di Studi sull’AltoMedioevo, was productive and very successful.Over the course of the week I had the chance toget to know very bright students from Italy, tolearn about their research interests, and to dis-cuss my own research with them. Not only didseveral of the other students express interest inmy topic, but they also provided me with newinsights as to how I might continue my work.Since I have been working with primarily En-glish and German secondary sources and amunfamiliar with much Italian scholarship, thisinformation was very helpful. I believe it willallow me to research and write a more effectiveand precise dissertation.”

Hailey LaVoy (fourth from the right)Doctoral Candidate, Medieval Institute

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“This grant from the Institute allowed me toconduct research on the health and demog-raphy of small-island fishing communities inWestern Ireland. The first goal was to buildupon previous years’ work to generate knowl-edge of the island’s demography and the inter-play of biotic and abiotic epidemiological fac-tors. Given new data as a proxy for epidemi-ological data, we are trying to characterize the1907 epidemic, to model it, and to understandthe broader ramifications upon health and de-mography in Western Ireland.”

Philip LettieriClass of ’13, Majors in Biology and Anthropology

“Over spring break, thanks to a grant from theInstitute, I was able to travel to Prato, Italy,to conduct research for my senior essay on theChinese community in the city. With China’shuge population and migration becoming moreprevalent, there will be many more cities likePrato that will encounter similar issues. How asmall European town such as Prato deals withthe Chinese now could set the tone for Europe’sinteractions with the Chinese in the years tocome.”

Douglas Lim (at far right)Class of ’11, Majors in French and Chinese

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“With the Institute’s help, I was fortunate tospend eighteen days exploring the architectureof seven former Soviet bloc countries. My taskwas to capture and understand how architec-ture played a role in cultural and political trans-formations. As I reflect on those weeks, I amamazed at how much I was able to learn andsee. I hope to put my research together in alarger exhibition, highlighting each city I wasable to explore and discover. My research willalso aid my senior thesis, as I try to tackle build-ing in a city that also is striving to recover fromrevolution: Cairo, Egypt.”

Rebecca LischweClass of ’12, Major in Architecture

“I was able to spend six weeks in Paris as an in-tern for retired Army Col. Peter Herrly. Thisinternship provided me with a wonderful op-portunity to use the French I had learned dur-ing my study abroad the preceding year and todevelop new skills and interests that will serveme throughout the rest of my Notre Dame ca-reer and beyond. It allowed me to fine-tunemy French skills, develop a new skill set, re-ceive career advice from many highly-placedexperts, and add focus to my political sciencemajor. Most significantly, I gained a lot of ex-perience speaking on the phone in French, oneof the most difficult situations in which to speaka foreign language. It was an incredibly educa-tional experience and an honor to work with thegroup that I did. The summer was everythingthat I had hoped for and more.”

Tara LucianClass of ’13, Major in Political Science

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“In order to study the Francophone commu-nity in Egypt, I started by asking our studentorientation leaders at the Anglophone Ameri-can University in Cairo if they spoke French.Many of them said yes, they had gone to Frenchschools and agreed to be interviewed. Unfor-tunately, I was unable to conduct any inter-views in person because on January 31, 2011,I was evacuated from the country by the StateDepartment. Our last day of instruction wasThursday, January 27. Just after midnight, theInternet and mobile phones were shut down inEgypt. We had signed up for a trip to the pyra-mids on Friday, but our trip was postponed in-definitely. Classes were supposed to start Sun-day, but they too were postponed. Instead, weexplored Zamalek a little, before getting tear-gassed and returning immediately to the dorm.There, we watched from the roof. ”

Lea MalewitzClass of ’12, Majors in French and Arabic

“My six weeks in Tours, France, over the sum-mer were inspiring. I have traveled internation-ally a lot for fencing competitions, spending acouple of nights in a foreign country each time,so I considered myself well-traveled and prettycultured. However, being fully immersed inanother culture for a month and a half is a com-pletely different story. It was much more ex-citing and challenging than I ever anticipated.Knowledge that comes from experience—frombeing immersed, making mistakes, and beingcorrected by native speakers—is knowledgethat stays with you longer and has a more pro-found effect than any other kind.”

Darsie MalynnClass of ’12, Major in French, and Masters candi-date, Romance Languages & Literatures

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“Over winter break I spent five days in Parisconducting research for my senior honors the-sis in art history. My project is to study the oilpaintings and pencil drawings produced by thenineteenth-century French artist Guillaume Bo-dinier during his twenty years in Italy and toexplore how they are in conversation with con-temporary French artists and intellectuals whowere equally interested in understanding ‘theother.’ The purpose of my trip was to supple-ment the research I had already gathered for mythesis by examining several books and auctioncatalogs housed at the Bibliotheque Nationale deFrance. I have already been in communicationwith Patrick Le Nouine, the director of the mu-seums of Angers, as it is my hope to conductfurther research at the archives in Angers per-haps this upcoming summer.”

Brigid Mangano (at left)Class of ’11, Majors in Art History and French

“Our pilgrimage walk on the Camino de San-tiago was wonderful. Meeting people and in-teracting with Spanish culture enriched my un-derstanding of both modern and past Europeanlife. Sharing in an ancient pilgrimage strength-ened my faith. I am grateful to the Institute forhelping to make this trip possible.”

James Maslar (at left)Class of ’11, Majors in Theology and PreprofessionalStudies

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“My time in Ireland was relaxing, nourishing,and wonderfully helpful in discerning my post-graduate path. Through the help of this grant,I was able to spend almost a week with the layvolunteer ministers of Teach Bhride, the Houseof Brigid. Through music ministry, youth min-istry, and liturgical and music catechesis basedin Clonard Parish outside Wexford, the Houseis attempting to reevangelize and revive theChurch in Ireland.”

Dan MastertonClass of ’11, Major in Theology

“I am very grateful that I received such a won-derful opportunity to study German in Munichthis summer. My interaction with Germans myage was usually a good experience. I foundthat their use of slang was generally acceptedby the older generation, and in general that theyare less vulgar than American college students.The experience will go a long way in preparingfor my spring semester in Berlin at Freie Univer-sitat. I now know what it takes to learn a lan-guage effectively.”

Brandon MaternaClass of ’13, Major in Economics

“Because of the generosity of the Institute, I wasable to stay for the entirety of the Sixteenth Cen-tury Studies Conference in Montreal and takefull advantage of the opportunity to networkand discuss my dissertation with people whosecomments on my work will be crucial in theyears ahead. I am grateful for your support,and I hope that similar privileges will continueto be afforded to graduate students in the yearsto come.”

John McCormackDoctoral Candidate, History

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“Climbing Mont Ventoux, retracing Petrarch’sjourney up the Brenta Canal, spending time inhis last house outside Padua, and seeing thesites of Rome he praised so highly made mystudy of Petrarch come alive. I returned feel-ing that I had a much deeper understanding ofhis ideas and his personality as it was affectedby the many places in which he lived. I knowthis information will be invaluable as I beginmy senior thesis, and I am very grateful for thisunique opportunity.”

Michael McHaleClass of ’12, Major in the Program of Liberal Studies

“During high school, I lived in Germany andbecame aware of the problem of the decliningbirthrate in Europe. At Notre Dame, I contin-ued to be interested in this and wanted to un-derstand whether and how the policies in var-ious countries affected birthrates and whetherthese policies could be transferable. I had sevenscheduled interviews in locations throughoutParis with scholars from the Sorbonne, Sci-ences Po’, The National Demographic Institute(INED), and the Centre national de la recherchescientifique (CNRS). My experience inspired meto continue to search for opportunities that willtake me back to Europe and continue to give mean understanding of European cultures and so-cieties.”

Kelly McRaven (at right)Class of ’13, Major in Political Science

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“Thanks to the generosity of the Institute, Iwas able to spend nine weeks in Dublin, Ire-land, conducting research for my dissertation.This trip was absolutely essential to launch-ing my dissertation research and sharpeningmy arguments for my project. I conducted re-search at the National Archives of Ireland andthe Archives Department at University College.I supplemented this research with rare books,pamphlets and other periodicals not availablein the US at the National Library of Ireland.”

Meredith MeagherDoctoral candidate, History

“I presented a paper at the International Me-dieval Congress, the largest conference of itskind in Europe. Particularly appealing for non-Europeans is the opportunity to meet, chat andcollaborate with European colleagues who areoften unable to travel to the US or elsewhere.The conversations sparked by sessions that I at-tended and above all the one in which I par-ticipated are a boon to my development as ascholar. Personal connections that are so essen-tial to furthering collaboration and research aresolidified only in person. I am grateful, there-fore, to the Institute for funding my participa-tion in these sessions.”

Stephen MetzgerDoctoral Candidate, Medieval Institute

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“This summer research trip to Greece was an in-valuable experience. It was fascinating to studyhow the birthplace of classical architecture re-turned to its roots and again began building ina classical style in the 1800s. Through this trip,I was able to participate in the two-dimensionaldocumentation of four different cities, most ofwhich are currently undocumented. This re-search trip served an additional purpose: it pro-vided a model of the process of site documenta-tion that I will use for future site documentationin my senior thesis project.”

Meeghan MillerClass of ’12, Major in Architecture

“The experience of working as an intern at theAmerican Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festivalwas one of the most rewarding of my life andan invaluable step in my future career as a film-maker. I was assigned to work as a PR internfor a production company out of Santa Mon-ica, California, and I was able to work alongsideproducers and directors in order to sell theirfilms on the vast Cannes Film Market. I amdeeply grateful to the Nanovic Institute for pro-viding me the opportunity to take part in thisinternship.”

Audrey MitchellClass of ’12, Majors in Film, Television, & Theatre,and English

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“Thanks to a grant from the Institute, the va-riety of activities in which I was able to en-gage during my short stay at the Harriman In-stitute in New York gave me the unique op-portunity to crystallize my plans and dreamsfor the coming years. I attended the HarrimanInstitute’s panel discussion on transitional jus-tice, had meetings with professors and formerAmbassador Kuchinsky, and was thrilled to seeRussian exhibitions at the Museum of ModernArt.”

Katherine MohrigClass of ’11, Majors in Physics and Russian & EastEuropean Studies

“The Vatican Library houses the two oldestknown versions of a manuscript of Joachimof Fiore’s commentary Super Isaiam. Both arefrom the thirteenth century. My main objec-tive was to study the marginal commentary ofthese earliest manuscripts because I believedthat the variations would reveal how they relateto each other and to later versions—somethingthat may not necessarily be gleaned from themain body of text, which generally remainedstable across the manuscript tradition. Thiskind of analysis had to be done on-site becausethe reproductions rendered these marginaliavirtually illegible. The trip proved to be enor-mously productive, with many exciting discov-eries. Overall, this research has greatly clari-fied the origins of the text and thus helps traceFiore’s influence on Western intellectual his-tory.”

David MorrisDoctoral Candidate, History

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“I set out to intern in Paris at STYLES Architectsin order to gain needed experience at an archi-tecture firm that emphasizes the importance oftraditional architecture and New Urbanism, aswell as to explore the culture and architecture ofParis. Visiting a city as a tourist is vastly differ-ent than living in a city for an extended periodof time. The chance to get to know Paris as anactive participant was an opportunity I am verythankful for. The lessons learned I will carrywith me for the rest of my life.”

Kristina MoscoClass of ’12, Major in Architecture

“This spring I conducted ten interviews withmembers of Finland’s Ministry of Educationand professors of education at the Universi-ties of Helsinki, Tampere, and Jyvaskyla. Thepurpose of these interviews was to discover asample of the range of opinions that pervadethe philosophy behind Finland’s extraordinar-ily successful public school system. The inter-view findings will help me in the content aswell as the structure of my senior thesis. Moreimportantly, I now carry with me a worldviewand a perspective on education that has beengreatly enriched.”

Stephanie MuethClass of ’12, Major in the Program of Liberal Studies

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“Before college, if someone had told me that Iwould devote four years of my life to perfor-mance of vocal art song and opera, as well asthe academic study of Western classical music,I probably would not have believed it. How-ever, I would not have traded my musical stud-ies over the past few years for any other aca-demic pursuit. The recent trip to Vienna, withthree of my colleagues and friends, absolutelyconfirmed this. As a senior, these experienceswill strongly influence my performance of mycurrent recital repertoire, our Mozart opera, apotential research performance on Berg, andmy final performance of Mozart’s Ach, ich fuhl’sat the Senior Commencement Concert. Thankyou so much for this incredible experience. ”

Kate Mullaney (at far right)Class of ’11, Majors in Music and English

“Thanks to the Institute, I traveled to Germany,Israel, and the US to present papers central tomy political philosophy dissertation on globaljustice, which asks how liberal democraciesought to treat severely oppressive regimes, andexplores the possibility of expanding the EUmodel globally. Having kindly commented onprevious journal articles I had written, severalof which directly address his work, a promi-nent professor offered to read further compo-nents of my dissertation as they develop. Thisleads me to believe that in due course he mightserve as an external member on my disserta-tion committee, which would greatly enhancemy research in multiple ways.”

Shmuel NiliDoctoral Candidate, Political Science

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“My original goals for summer travel and re-search were to contribute to the current doc-umentation of nineteenth century neoclassicalbuildings in Greece and Rome, gain experiencein field documentation and sketching, and ex-perience the unique cultures of these places.There is much to gain from precedent researchthrough books, but experience is essential. Thestreetscapes in all of the visited areas wereunique, varying from place-to-place. The dif-ferences, both vast and small, were those thatcould only be determined by actually seeing theplaces. It is one thing to study the architec-ture from plan, section, and elevation, but to ac-tually be there witnessing how these nuancesaffect the lives and traditions of these people(and even myself) is incredible. I will use thisresearch in conjunction with my thesis work.I hope to set my architecture thesis project inCorinth.”

Gina PaiettaClass of ’12, Major in Architecture

“During the early summer of 2011 I studied theGerman language for four weeks in Germanyat the Goethe Institut’s Freiburg location. I wasable to practice consistently enough for a longenough time that I feel I truly internalized thenuances of the language with which I had beenstruggling. While in Munich, we visited the fa-mous Frauenkirche for Mass on Pentecost andwere able to hear the Gospel in a foreign lan-guage that we could understand. It was truly aunique experience.”

Daniel PalmerClass of ’13, Major in Political Science

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“While conducting research at the Institute ofAutomatic Control at RWTH in Aachen, Ger-many, I became aware of the differences be-tween American and German academic careers.In addition, I had a chance to travel to differ-ent German cities over the weekends. I visitedBerlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen, Hanover,Hamburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf. Germanyis the country I had always dreamed of visitingbecause of its advanced high technology, espe-cially in the automotive industry. I realized mydream this summer. ”

Yichao Pan (at right)Class of ’12, Major in Mechanical Engineering

“As for the long-term results of having studiedGerman in Munich over the summer, I do notknow that I could describe them fully in an es-say constrained by any sort of word limit. Itwill be enough to say that two things stand outmost distinctly: that I developed a healthy de-gree of fluency in a foreign language of mod-erate difficulty, and that I came to understandhow Europeans viewed America—a view that,I am extremely proud to mention, I consider-ably brightened in the minds of my host family.The departing words of the mother of the fam-ily to me were, ‘I have a much more beautifulpicture of the United States now.”’

Dale ParkerClass of ’13, Major in Classics

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“I had the pleasure of working for two monthsdoing theoretical nuclear physics research atFrance’s national accelerator facility, GANIL(Grand Accelerateur Nationale d’Ion Lourds), inthe Normandy city of Caen. My summer re-search experience in France was one of deep im-mersion in physics and culture. The results ofour research were presented at the CSNSM, Or-say in July and will also be presented at the Di-vision of Nuclear Physics meeting in October2011. I also greatly flourished in the life of re-search at GANIL and took the opportunity toenjoy the beauty of northwestern France. I hopeto return to GANIL for some doctoral research,and am greatly thankful to the Institute for al-lowing me to live and work in Europe for thevery first time.”

Nancy PaulClass of ’12, Major in Physics

“The conference at which I presented my pa-per in Belfast helped to open up new questionsand moments in Irish literary history for meas a scholar, especially the intercourse betweenthe intellectual communities of Paris, Dublin,and Belfast in the early twentieth century. Pre-senting my paper gave me the opportunity toreceive some very helpful feedback, includingsome secondary reading to consider as I pre-pare this work for publication. The support andinterest of professional scholars was encourag-ing, and I valued the opportunity.”

Marianne PeracchioDoctoral Candidate, Ph.D. in Literature

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“I could not stop grinning as our puddlejumper descended through the clouds and ontothe sheep-bordered runway of Dublin. Faintshafts of light illuminating a distant moun-tain mirrored my ethereal expectations andpromised to fulfill my romantic ideals. Aboutthree hours, two missed busses, one currencymisadventure, a pair of snow-sogged boots,and a grubby hostel later, the smile was wan-ing. The challenges of conducting researchabroad provided an equal, if not greater, oppor-tunity for growth.”

Kathryn PetrikClass of ’12, Majors in the Program of Liberal Stud-ies and Arabic

“Thanks to the Institute, I was able to start thearchival portion of my dissertation research. Iwas in England for three and a half weeks, andin the course of that time I visited the EtonCollege archives (Windsor), St. Paul’s Schoolarchives (London), Magdalen College archives(Oxford), King’s College archives (Cambridge),the National Archives (in Kew), and the BritishLibrary (London). I was also able to arrange ameeting with a professor at Cambridge Univer-sity, who has now agreed to write my institu-tional letter of affiliation as part of my Fulbrightapplication.”

Eleanor PettusDoctoral Candidate, History

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“Globalization has integrated across nationalboundaries diverse political, economic, and so-cial actors. Consequently, the individual is ex-posed to political, economic, and social forcesof unprecedented proportion. Faced with theseforces, individual agency is challenged to beanything more than a modest, limited enter-prise. It was with this challenge in mind thatI explored Paris in search of the legacy left be-hind by Napoleon Bonaparte. As my nine-dayjourney drew to a close, I came to a greater un-derstanding of the legacy of one person, the ef-ficacy of his actions, and how those effects con-tinue to reverberate.”

Jason PhamClass of ’11, Major in Political Science

“It is almost drug-like. When I am asked whatdraws me back to Russia, I say merely thatit is something in the air. A full explanationof ‘Russia love’ would prove to be too time-consuming, if even possible, to someone whohas never experienced it. The advanced lan-guage training program I attended provided ahost family for each student. I was placed ina family of three: a mother, her daughter, andher son. The children, now aged 23 and 25,were just as eager to engage me as I was them.They and their mother showed me the city andgave me an education in contemporary Russianlanguage and culture that no university coursecould replicate.”

Paul PhelanClass of ’12, Majors in Political Science and Russian

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“As a first year architecture student, this levelof realism and the ability to compare and con-trast my designs with the existing structureswas an incredible experience. It allowed me topiece things together and to see the things I didwell and the things I would change in my de-signs, if given the chance. Additionally, ourpresentations to citizens and government offi-cials provided a priceless experience. To havesuch a strong, positive impact on these citizenswas a wonderful thing to see.”

Stacey PhilliberMasters Candidate, Architecture

“The greatest achievement of my research tripto the National Archives in Paris was the dis-covery of a very promising collection of sourcesthat will serve as a foundation for a possible dis-sertation topic. It all began with a small file en-titled ‘medical quacks’ in the files of the Min-istry of Cults, files which included a number ofpastoral letters and statements on the propaga-tion of the smallpox vaccine by Catholic clergyduring the First Empire and the Restoration(from 1804-1824). The thick accumulation ofdust somehow made the experience that muchmore exciting. My research proceeded apace,and I was confident in my skills as well as inmy area of research.”

Sean PhillipsDoctoral Candidate, History

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“This experience in France allowed me to pur-sue a topic of intellectual interest in a waythat I would be otherwise unable to investigate.It has greatly improved my understanding ofthe complex dynamics that affect the changingdemographics in Europe. Being immersed inFrench society allowed me to develop a real un-derstanding of this issue and has spurred myinterest in pursuing undergraduate research inEurope in the future. These valuable experi-ences have given me direction in my academicgoals as I continue to work towards a senior the-sis in the coming years.”

Alison Podlaski (at left)Class of ’13, Major in Anthropology

“Thanks to a grant from the Institute, I was ableto complete a number of research goals relatedto my studies of the liturgy of the EuropeanCrusaders in twelfth-century Jerusalem. Mypurpose in examining evidence on-site was todetermine, by examining the codicological andpaleographical features of manuscripts, theirrelative dates and relationships to each another.This would in turn allow me to chart the riseand stages of development of the Crusader’sJerusalem feast day in the twelfth century. Mystudies of the manuscript sources for the Cru-sader’s Jerusalem feast have laid a sure founda-tion for two articles I am currently completing.”

Cara PolkDoctoral Candidate, Theology

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“I spent the past summer living and workingin Paris. As I look back on my all of my ex-periences in France, I know that I am not thesame guy who stepped on the airplane back inJune. In ways that I haven’t yet fully grasped,my time abroad has affected me as a student,a Catholic, a world citizen, and especially asan architect-in-training. The interesting thingabout working in the summer of 2011 was see-ing first-hand the effect of the economic crisisthat seems to be gripping most of the world.France was not exempt from this problem. Itwas especially evident working at an architec-ture firm, where the crisis manifested itself intoclients who, having lost money, were unable tocontinue with projects. As an intern, this putme in a unique position. From day one, I wasentrusted to create drawings meant to impresspotential clients into employing the architec-ture firm. This was my first experience workingwith architects in a professional setting, and itwas vastly different from my experiences withprofessors. I would like to extend sincere grat-itude to the Institute for making this dream apossibility.”

Evan PossleyClass of ‘12, Major in Architecture

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“This experience of independent researchabroad was one of the most challenging andrewarding things I’ve ever done. Thanks tothe support of the Institute, I was free to con-centrate on points of interest at my own pace.As different as Piacenza and Cisternino werein their architectural language, this researchallowed me to witness and understand theunderlying similarities and successes. I willnow go forward in my studies, in particularwith my final thesis project in Architecture,with a greater understanding of urbanism atits best, and what we can strive for in ourhometowns. ”

Kathleen PulsClass of ’12, Major in Architecture

“I conducted my exploratory research in Rome,Italy, with the aim of examining the associ-ations between the conceptions of adulthoodamong Italian university students and the pres-ence of “emerging adulthood” in the mammonipopulation. This population ranges in agefrom early twenties to late thirties and forties.Through preliminary literature reviews and di-rect surveys of Italian adolescents, I obtainedsome highly intriguing data. For each itemwithin the individual subscales, participantswere asked to ‘indicate whether you think eachof the following must be achieved before a per-son can be considered an adult.’ I found the re-sults particularly fascinating in comparison toJeffrey Arnett’s findings in the American ma-jority population.”

Catherine ReidyClass of ’13, Majors in Psychology and Philosophy

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“My dissertation examines the development ofArchbishop Wulfstan’s Polity and its relation toWulfstan’s other writings in Old English andLatin. The trip proved to be enormously ben-eficial for my research and professional devel-opment. My research began in London withten days at the British Library. The week Ispent at the Bodleian Library at Oxford wasequally fruitful in both academic and profes-sional terms.”

Ben ReinhardDoctoral Candidate, Medieval Institute

“My journey to Rome to study the dogma of theImmaculate Conception as depicted throughItalian artwork proved to be extraordinary. Myvisits to the Papal Basilicas, the Vatican Mu-seums, the Column of the Immaculate Con-ception at the Piazza di Spagna, the CapuchinChurch of the Immaculate Conception at the Pi-azza Barberini, and the Church of San Andreadella Fratte each took me by surprise in uniqueways.”

Katherine RemleyClass of ’12, Majors in Theology and Medieval Stud-ies

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“The Institute’s support allowed me to travelfrom Russia, where I was conducting my dis-sertation research at the time, to Boston, in or-der to present a paper at the American Histor-ical Association’s (AHA) 125th Annual Meet-ing. The paper I delivered at the AHA meet-ing is part of my doctoral dissertation on thelate Soviet scientific intelligentsia, and was myfirst attempt to analyze the findings of my dis-sertational research and present it in front ofhighly qualified scholars. My paper, entitled“Between Loyalty and Dissent: Scientific Intel-ligentsia in the Late Soviet Union,” aspired toexplore the boundaries of loyalty and dissent inpost-Stalinist Soviet society. Both my participa-tion in the AHA, which is the largest and mostprestigious history conference in America, andmy presentation were extremely rewarding ex-periences.”

Maria RogachevaDoctoral Candidate, History

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“As soon as I arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, andgot a glimpse of my surroundings, I knew Iwas in for a rude awakening. Even within thecity limits, I felt like I was in a remote village.For the first five days, I lived with a family inKnazhevo. After my stay, I made my way witha small group to Razliv, a tiny village aboutthirty miles from Sofia. There were only twogeneral stores, one restaurant, and the RazlivOrphanage. As soon as we stepped inside theorphanage, kids crowded around us, wantingto touch us, talk to us, and hug us. The three ofus were assigned to take care of the twenty or sokids, and we really had no idea of what we weregetting ourselves into. Not used to interactingwith other human beings, the children wouldcringe when you touched them and were verysensitive to everything around them, so theywould usually sit together and do nothing butmove their eyes around the room. Seeing themsmile in response to our encouragement waspriceless. I have never in my life felt so wel-comed, needed, or loved by complete strangersas I did when I lived in Bulgaria.”

Nathalie RosadoClass of ’12, Major in History

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“I had the pleasure and fortune of interningat John Simpson and Partners, a traditional ar-chitecture firm in London, U.K. This was, inmy opinion, an ideal opportunity for me tocap off a phenomenal year of study abroad inRome, Italy. I was not studying out of text-books anymore; I was studying the fascinatingspaces I was in. The internship honed my in-terpersonal skills and helped me learn to inte-grate into a professional working environment.The academic, professional and social skills Iacquired through my experience will be invalu-able for my future endeavors. I cannot thankthe Nanovic Institute enough for the exposureand skills this opportunity offered. ”

Bisma SarfarazClass of ‘13, Major in Architecture

“My four weeks in Dresden gave me the chanceto experience history while improving my lan-guage skills. Surrounded by German speak-ers, and few English speakers, I had no otherchoice but to communicate in German. In myfree time I watched American movies dubbedin German, read books or newspapers in Ger-man, or met up with some German friends togo bowling. I talked with receptionists, sales-people, waiters, street vendors and other stu-dents in German. I was inundated with Ger-man and, though my grammar and pronuncia-tion are not perfect, was able to do more thanjust survive. Over four weeks, I gained a greatamount of confidence in my speaking ability.”

Catherine SchrandtClass of ’13, Major in History and German

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“My summer study in Italy comprised twophases. During the first I attended the CinemaRitrovato festival in Bologna, and during thesecond I attended an intensive language coursein Milan. Overall this experience was greatlyenriching. My improved language skills andexpanded cultural knowledge will benefit meimmediately as a student and graduate instruc-tor of Italian and have helped to solidify mybackground in the field of Italian Studies as Ibegin my job search.”

Laurel SchuirmannMasters Candidate, Romance Languages & Litera-tures

“The week I spent traveling the Camino de San-tiago pilgrimage route in Spain was one of themost academically and personally significantexperiences of my undergraduate career. Asa student who had never previously left thecountry, experiencing some of the language,culture, and traditions of Spain was a mind-blowing experience. As a theology student, be-ing able to experience the practice of pilgrimagegave me greater insight into Catholic spiritual-ity and practice throughout history and today.I know that it is a trip I will return to again andagain in my academic future.”

Rebecca SharbaughClass of ’11, Major in Psychology and Theology

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“I traveled to Ireland to research the future ofthe Irish economy after the recent economicdownturn. As an Irish dual citizen and an ac-counting student, I was interested in hearinghow Irish accountants viewed the future of theIrish economy. This was my first research ven-ture. I was able to take my learning from theCollege of Business to a current and significantissue in Europe and see first-hand the effects ofeconomic decisions. The discussions I had gaveme a fascinating perspective into the Irish econ-omy. I am so grateful to Notre Dame for offer-ing this opportunity.”

Connor SkellyClass of ’12, Major in Accounting

“With support from a grant from the Institute, Iwas able to live in Berlin and begin backgroundreading for my senior thesis. Once a week, Ialso met with a faculty member of the Freie Uni-versitat Institut fur Detusche und NiederlandischePhilologie to discuss the direction of my reading.He offered suggestions for the direction of mythesis and provided helpful clarifications on anauthor I am studying. We spoke only in Ger-man, which, though it made my engagement inthe conversation difficult, provided a good ex-ercise and stretched my ability to participate inprolonged academic discussions in German.”

William StewartClass of ’12, Major in the Program of Liberal Studies

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“The Institute’s support enabled me to presenta paper, “Social Coping: Mothers’ MentalHealth in Northern Ireland,” at the Interna-tional Society for Political Psychology. My pa-per was well-received, which was wonderfulconsidering I had cited both the discussant andat least one audience member. Another pan-elist also presented on survey data collected inNorthern Ireland and her specific focus was onreligiosity, which overlaps with another mem-ber of my research team; I was able to con-nect them via email to discuss their shared in-terests. During this session I also received en-couragement to submit my paper for publica-tion. This was an incredible opportunity forme to share my scholarship, raise Notre Dame’sprofile among an international audience of psy-chologists and political scientists, and networkwith other universities that are potential futureemployers.”

Laura TaylorDoctoral Candidate, Psychology & Peace Studies

“Participating in this year’s annual meeting ofthe Heidegger Circle was a wonderful experi-ence. It was a joy to be surrounded by so manyothers who share my deep interest in and pas-sion for Heidegger’s work, and I plan to attend(and hope to participate in) more annual meet-ings of the Heidegger Circle in the future. I amthrilled to have begun this stage of my profes-sional development and would like to offer mysincerest thanks to the Institute for its part inmaking this experience possible.”

Joshua TepleyDoctoral Candidate, Philosophy

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“I was able to travel to Ireland to further in-vestigate a facet of the Irish American experi-ence. Ultimately, it is exciting to have beengiven the opportunity to make a contributionto the dialogue surrounding Irish immigrationto the United States. To think that another per-son who is also interested in this topic mightcome cross my article is a very rewarding feel-ing. Nanovic helped me to tell this story andillustrate these transformations by helping meto fine-tune my research skills abroad.”

Jacqueline ThomasClass of ’11, Majors in Anthropology and Film,Television & Theatre

“On the whole, the experience Kyle and I haddocumenting Parisian street musicians was cul-turally enriching, educationally engaging, andprofessionally valuable. The technical skillsI developed in Paris will be utilized repeat-edly throughout my remaining year at NotreDame, and the story telling techniques I honedwill have cross-disciplinary applications. Pro-fessionally, the opportunity to develop an ex-tracurricular documentary film of this caliberwill help propel me to the levels of filmmakingsuccess that I have diligently pursued since thebeginning of my cinematic career.”

William ThwaitesClass of ’12, Majors in Film, Television & Theatreand Economics

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“I was able to achieve every goal I set for my-self and was even able to learn and experi-ence things I hadn’t imagined. I strove to im-prove my French, and although that came withmany errors, it naturally developed in a waythat it couldn’t in any classroom. I look forwardto taking my sketches, pictures, notes, guides,maps, and my dreams from Paris and trans-forming them into a research study thesis formy senior year. Opening my eyes to such achallenge, encouraging me to strive to be a bet-ter person, following my dreams, and sharingwith others is exactly what the Institute helpedme do.”

Tiffany TibbotClass of ’12, Major in Marketing

“With the help of the Institute, I learned a greatdeal about the culture, history, and architectureof the city of Bath. But even more than that, thisproject taught me how to tour a city as an ar-chitect/urban designer, how to make a projectproposal to concerned stakeholders, and howto speak about new developments in a historiccenter with everyone from avant-garde archi-tects to hard-nosed preservationists. I hope towork on urban infill projects in historic dis-tricts for my career, so I will carry the lessonsI learned on this project for a very long time.”

Joel VanderWeeleMasters Candidate, Architecture

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“I spent the past summer in Brussels, Belgium,as an intern in the office Mario Mauro, a mem-ber of the European Parliament (EP) in the Eu-ropean Union and the head of the Italian Euro-pean People’s Party delegation to the EP. Over-all, this experience allowed me not only to un-derstand the workings of the European Unionfirsthand, but also gave me opportunities tomake meaningful contributions to the work ofthe office. It expanded my view of the impor-tance and difficulty of international coopera-tion. It was an amazing opportunity to makefriends from across the world and discuss theirperspectives on global issues. The things thatI learned at the EU this summer will be in-valuable in my future academic and career pur-suits.”

Laura WettererClass of ’12, Majors in Political Science and Spanish

“Thanks to the Institute, I spent five and ahalf weeks conducting research in Barcelona formy honors senior thesis in History. Living inBarcelona allowed me to access documents andbooks hard to find or unavailable in the UnitedStates, providing me with a strong foundationand understanding of Catalonia during Fran-cisco Franco’s regime. Interviews with Cata-lans who worked during the regime also gaveme unique perspectives and new openings toareas I had yet to think of. Although I knewmy thesis would benefit from this grant, I didnot anticipate how I would develop and adaptto the challenges of researching abroad and in-terviewing subjects on a sensitive topic. I amvery appreciative of the Institute’s generosityand will never forget the time I spent research-ing in Barcelona.”

Tessa WhiteClass of ’12, Majors in History and Spanish

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“Over the summer, I spent eight weeks on threedifferent work sites in France related to me-dieval archaeology. First, I participated in amulti-year project to build a medieval village.During the next four weeks, I participated in anarchaeological dig on a medieval castle in Nor-mandy. My final two weeks were spent with aservice organization that did restoration workin southern France. Thus, I combined my twomajors of Anthropology and French into a sum-mer internship and service experience and planto use what I learned this summer as a potentialfoundation for my senior thesis.”

Allison WhitlockClass of ’13, Majors in Anthropology and French

“The Institute’s support allowed me to con-duct research essential for my dissertation. Thegrant afforded me the opportunity to travelto the Vatican Library in Rome and the Bib-lioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence to con-sult two early thirteenth-century manuscriptsof Jacques of Vitry’s Historia orientalis as wellas one manuscript of Helinand of Froidmont’sChronicon. Jacques and Helinand, two earlythirtieth-century intellectuals who producedemblematic universal histories, are the focusof my dissertation. Having the informationthat I gathered thanks to the grant, I will beable to produce strong fellowship applicationsto study other manuscripts throughout Europe,which will add a dimension to my study thatwould have been impossible otherwise.”

Caroline WilkyDoctoral Candidate, History

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“The research I undertook in Saint Petersburg,Russia, provided useful information and mate-rials for both my senior thesis and my Fulbrightgrant application for 2011-2012. This trip pro-vided me with literature and historical informa-tion that I will use for the next two years, as wellas the opportunity to solidify relationships inthe city in which I hope to reside for the nextyear. The Institute provided me with fundingfor an invaluable academic experience in Rus-sia.”

Thomas WisemanClass of ’11, Majors in German and Russian

“I knew that our pilgrimage to Santiago deCompostela, Spain, would be the trip of a life-time, but I did not expect it to affect my heartas much as it did. . . With our connections withthe people, I felt connected to all pilgrims thathad come before us, that were walking with usthen, and that will walk after we left Spain. . . Ibelieve that the Camino is not just an end, notsimply a destination, but a beginning.”

Tim WoodwardClass of ’11, Majors in Psychology and AmericanStudies

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“Alba Adriatica is a small fishing town in Italydriven mainly by tourism. It is right alongthe Adriatic Coast and is connected to the sur-rounding towns by a boardwalk called Il Lun-gomare, literally “the long sea.” I became veryintimate with this road over the summer. Froma cultural standpoint, the trip was much moreimmersive than an entire year in Rome. Beingin a region where almost nobody speaks En-glish was daunting, to say the least, but it forcedme to learn the Italian language and way of life.By the end of my trip, I was fluent in conversa-tional Italian and could go out with my friendsfrom work.”

Joseph YatcoClass of ’12, Major in Architecture

“This trip to Bath, England, was a great edu-cational experience for me not only as a partof my academic understanding of architecture,but especially for a practical understanding ofthe process of building. . . I only wish we couldhave stayed longer. Bath is an amazing city,and is packed with learning opportunities forAmerican architects.”

Stephen ZepedaMasters Candidate, Architecture

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