September 2008 

Student Achievers

Claire Balani Named
Institute for International Public Policy Fellow

Claire Balani ’10 was one of 32 students from across the nation selected as Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP) Fellows for 2008. Each fellow receives scholarship and services totaling nearly $100,000 over a five-year period.

The fellowship is a six-component program that includes the Sophomore Summer Policy Institute at Spelman College; Junior Year Study Abroad; Junior Summer Policy Institute at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy; Summer Language Institute; Master’s Degree Program in International Affairs; and an IIPP Internship. The fellowships provide funding for the summer programs and portions of the study abroad and master’s degree programs.

Balani began the fellowship program in June with the seven-week Sophomore Summer Policy Institute that introduced basics of foreign affairs, international policy development, cultural competence, and career and graduate study options. Students then participated in study missions in Washington, D.C., and New York City with briefings at the Department of Education, the Department of State, and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations, the United Nations, and the World Bank.

Balani, an international relations major, is spending her junior year in China, where she will gain advanced skills in Mandarin Chinese. She eventually will pursue a Ph.D. in political science and hopes for a career with the U.S. State Department as an adviser on human rights in Asia.

The IIPP is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation to provide students from underrepresented minority groups with the education and training necessary for advancing in international affairs.

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Austin College Musicians Perform in Austria Festival

Professor of Music Rick Duhaime and 2008 graduates Kaitlin Hampton (violist), Lindsay Brown (mezzo soprano vocalist), and Justin Duncan (bass vocalist) found themselves in a birthplace of classical music in August, performing at the 33rd annual Classical Music Festival (Eisenstädter Sommerakademie) in Austria. “During this festival, we are practicing and performing classical works often in the very venues in which they were conceived,” Duhaime said. “That cannot be duplicated.”

For two and a half weeks, musicians from the United States and Europe studied, rehearsed, and performed in Vienna and surrounding concert venues. An orchestra of 50 and a chorus of 80, plus four internationally recognized vocal soloists, presented two master works of classical music: Joseph Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

Duhaime has served for 18 years as an orchestral principal and member of the festival’s continuing faculty. Participation is by audition, and as a regional coordinator, Duhaime is able to admit performers.

Daily rehearsals as well as the final gala concert of the festival were held in the Schloss Esterházy where Haydn, a lifelong resident of Austria, spent some 32 years of his career composing and playing for the ruling Austrian family.

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Jessica Lucas studied a variety of handcrafted items in research for her Mellon project.

Mellon Fellows Spend Summer in Research Projects

Research is a key element of the academic process at Austin College, and students have many opportunities to work with faculty on projects. Austin College’s Mellon Summer Research Grants in the Humanities and Social Sciences allow recipients to devote several weeks of undivided time to the academic venture.

Grants are extended to six Mellon Fellows each year, providing $3,000 stipends for students to pursue 10-week summer research projects. Students then spend another term or academic year preparing their research papers. Collaborative work with a faculty adviser is integral to the project. Students and faculty initially spend an intensive few weeks in design of the research plan before students work independently for seven to eight weeks. Faculty and students then reconnect to analyze materials and discuss the writing project.

In 2008, a Mellon Special Projects Grant was presented in addition to the customary six grants. Recipients, their projects, and faculty advisers follow. 

2008 Mellon Fellowships

Justin Harris ’09
Major: Interdisciplinary: Latin American Poverty Studies Minor: Spanish
“Culture in Pill Form: Alternative Medicine in Cuzco, Peru”
Faculty Adviser: Terry Hoops, associate professor of anthropology

Jaisy Joseph ’09
Majors: Religion and Psychology
“Cultural Identity and the Emergence of First-Generation Syro-Malabar Catholics in America”
Faculty Advisers: Lisa Brown, associate professor of psychology, and Steve Stell, associate professor of religious studies

Jessica Lucas ’09
Major: Art Minor: Anthropology
“The Commoditization of Culture: An Analysis of the Samoan Handcrafts Market”
Faculty Adviser: David Griffith, associate professor of economics

Allison Varley ’09
Major: Psychology Minor: French
“The Relationship Between Religions, Beliefs, Perceived Control, and Risky Behavior”
Faculty Adviser: Karen Nelson, professor of psychology

Allen Wang ’10
Majors: Economics and Philosophy
“Luck and Responsibility”
Faculty Adviser: Karánn Durland, associate professor of philosophy

Mellon Special Projects Grant

Austin Tooley ’09
Major: History Minor: Philosophy
“Sister to an Empire: Emily Austin of Texas, 1795-1851”
Faculty Adviser: Light Cummins, professor of history

Austin Tooley, at far right, began filming this summer as preparation for the 25- to 30-minute documentary film on Emily Austin that will be the May 2009 outcome of his Mellon project.
Faculty adviser Light Cummins, second from right, listens as Tooley conducts a
video interview with Ralph Collins, Jr., a direct descendant of Austin.

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Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies Program
Provides Summer Internship Funding

Austin College’s Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies (CSMS) offers a competitive internship program, providing $2,500 stipends for full-time summer internships dealing with Texas and its diverse cultural heritage within the context of the humanities or the social sciences. Many CSMS interns work at museums, archives, and libraries. Others may work in non-profit organizations dealing with cultural activities. Interns for 2008 are listed below with their intern sites. 

Caitlin Gillis ’11
Red River Historical Museum in Sherman, Texas.
Assisted in all aspects of the museum.

Kathryn Aken ’09
Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, Texas.
Worked with community programs for Spanish-speaking families.

Adam Tunnell ’09
Sam Rayburn Library in Bonham, Texas.
Cataloged papers from the Congressman Jack Brooks Collection. 

Aaron Flores ’09
Casa Juan Diego in Houston, Texas.
Assisted in charity work among disadvantaged Spanish-speaking families at this agency operated by the Catholic Diocese in Houston. 

Rachel Stevenson ’09
Boys and Girls Club in Sherman, Texas.
Worked with the increasing Spanish-speaking population in Sherman. 

Elizabeth Elliott ’09
Austin College Archives, Sherman, Texas.
Performed various projects related to cataloging of collections.

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Pictured at the Collin Count y Children’s Advocacy Center, are, top left, intern Alissa King ’09; Emily Kuo ’10 at top right; and Jessica Knowles ’07, a center volunteer.

320 Hours That Can Change a Life: Vocational Internships

The Theological Exploration of Vocation program, begun with funding from the Lilly Endowment, has a lofty title, and the lessons learned by the 60-some Austin College students who participated in the 320-hour summer internship program in 2008 were quite grand as well.

The experience students gained through the Vocational Internship Program (VIP) confirmed directions, set new paths, and inspired passions. The lofty title breaks down more simply: The program doesn’t advocate any particular religious viewpoint but focuses on the ideas of meaning and purpose often at the heart of religious tradition. The exploration aspect of the program involves examining students’ own ideas and values while investigating interests. The idea of vocation, or calling, involves a process of discernment and turning inward to discover one’s gifts, passions, values, and talents.

Students receiving VIP internships in 2008 explored options from working in hospitals and clinics to an opportunity to study global cultures at the United States Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.

Students explored work in communications, banking, law, advertising, government and politics, fine and performing arts, psychology, ministry, environmental concerns, medicine, business, and education.

Their exploration is not over. All VIP interns take a course the fall after the internship to reflect upon their experiences and share those with one another, having further opportunity to explore their reactions and responses. The course is led by program director Mark Hebert, associate professor of philosophy.

Through a VIP grant, Emily Kuo ’10 spent the summer as a community resource caseworker at the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center. She connected families with available resources, monitored supervised visits, attended court cases, watched forensic interviews, and participated in home visits with law enforcement and Child Protective Services personnel.

“I learned how passionate I am about helping children and protecting their right to lead normal lives,” said Kuo, a psychology and Spanish major with a minor in leadership studies. “My eyes have been opened to the realities of this world, and I cannot say that I will ever look at it through the same lens. We can’t turn our heads away from child abuse; it is a harsh and sadly common truth that affects all ages, races, and socioeconomic levels.”

“Academically, I have seen the demands of Spanish fluency in the workplace and have been inspired to work even harder toward this goal,” Kuo said. “The work for these translators never appears to stop. Psychologically, I continue to explore ways to understand others as individuals, and every day I see the value of effective leadership. Immersion in the field of social services has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life — so far.”

• More Summer VIP Experiences

Jade Rutledge ’09 spent the summer as an environmental educator for a nature camp at Alaska’s Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. “My job was to teach the kids about ecology and natural sciences while instilling a love and enjoyment of the natural world. The neatest part was my travel to remote villages that range in population from 30-200, mainly native people. In those instances, I learned more from the kids than I taught them. I learned a great deal about the native environment, and the kids taught me a great deal about their native culture. This fit in well with my education because I think the best way to learn is through teaching others.”

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September 2008 

Feedback?

20/20 Vision

The first year of college is always memorable. The excitement, if not outright fear, of being in a new place, the sense of independence, and the anticipation of discovery hits just about every college freshman at the same time each navigates the challenges of moving into the typically cramped living space of a residence hall and deciding on a course schedule. Carlee Young ’11 experienced these emotions when she started her freshman year at Austin College in fall 2007, but her excitement has not waned.

“I have made so many friends, found a great sense of independence, and I am studying the things I absolutely love,” said Carlee, who completed a 2008 Career Study Off-Campus summer internship at Frisco Eye Associates, secured through Austin College’s Career Center, to pursue her career interests in ophthalmology or optometry. “More now than even before, I feel like the students and faculty at Austin College will help me accomplish anything I want to do in the next three years.”

To her credit, Carlee didn’t allow her freshman year at Austin College to intimidate her. “I started not knowing what to expect, but wanting to make a difference by being involved on campus and in the community,” she said. She attended an activities fair during her first week at the College and pursued what interested her most. Carlee is a member of the Posey Leadership Institute and is involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Student Development Board, Pre-Medical Society, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She logged nearly 100 hours of service during her freshman year, including participation in the Alternative Spring Break relief trip to New Orleans.

Carlee’s determination to make the most of what Austin College offers was rewarded when she received the Outstanding Freshman Award in spring 2008 in recognition of demonstrated leadership potential. She doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon. “I have wanted to study history in Italy since about seventh grade, and I now know that Austin College will help me turn that dream into an actual experience,” said Carlee, who plans to spend the fall term of her junior year in Italy. Given her fearless determination to pursue what she loves, it’s likely she will turn many more dreams into realities.

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