Eight Students Receive Class of 1938 Award
April 17, 2017
UNC Global Affairs
Eight undergraduates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received the Class of 1938 Summer Project Abroad Fellowships for research abroad in summer 2017.
The students were chosen based on the quality of their proposals, financial need and personal, academic and professional purpose. Each student will receive $5,000. The awardees were chosen by a committee of Class of 1938 members who are all former fellows.
The recipients are Griffin Bell ’18, Olivia Holder ’18, Mailiis Law ’19, Madelynn Lewis ’18, Michael Purello ’18, Mitchell Ryan ’18, Emily Swink ’18 and Philip Wilson ’18.
Every year since 1975 an endowment created by UNC’s Class of 1938 has funded independent projects abroad by UNC students. The original class members, who lived through and lost friends in World War II, created the endowment to help foster international understanding and promote world peace. International Student and Scholar Services administers the award.
“UNC can take great pride in the ambassadorial roles of these brilliant, creative and dedicated students as they pursue their passions in various countries,” said Jane Rosenberg, assistant director for student and exchange visitor services at UNC. “These young women and men embody the spirit of the Class of 1938 gift in promoting understanding and communication across cultures while fulfilling their personal interests abroad.”
Griffin Bell ’18, from Atlanta, Georgia, is majoring in biostatistics. Bell will spend nine weeks in Lilongwe, Malawi, to work on research related to the RTS,S malaria vaccine. He will also observe and assist the planning of a 2018 World Health Organization phase IV study of RTS,S.
Olivia Holder ’18, from Greenville, North Carolina, is majoring in history. Holder will travel to Beijing and Yunnan, China, for five weeks to study the history of tea. She will continue her research to understand how the British appropriation of tea functions as a microcosm of British Imperial history.
Mailiis Law ’19, from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, is majoring in computer science. Law will go to Seoul, South Korea, for two months to intern as a software developer, user tester and translator at a Korean mobile game company. She will also volunteer at a community center serving minority elementary students, involving the children in using friendly, simple technologies.
Madelynn Lewis ’18, from Apex, North Carolina, is majoring in nursing. Lewis will go to Jonkoping, Sweden, for a month to study health care improvement at Jonkoping University School of Nursing and to observe physicians in a local hospital to better understand the Swedish healthcare system.
Michael Purello ’18, from Gastonia, North Carolina, is majoring in history and global studies. Purello will travel to Spain for two and a half months to research the Spanish Civil War, including the role of artistic reflection and political opposition in the form of surrealism and realism.
Mitchell Ryan ’18, from Raleigh, North Carolina, is majoring in economics with a minor in sustainability studies. Ryan will go to Duque de Caxias in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for two months to research the toll of flooding and its impact on the environment in this area of Rio de Janeiro.
Emily Swink ’18, from Mebane, North Carolina, is majoring in human development and family studies. Swink will travel to Oaxaca, Mexico, for four weeks to shadow physicians and nurses in clinic and hospital settings and learn about breastfeeding practices in Mexico.
Philip Wilson ’18, from Eden, North Carolina, is majoring in classical studies and medieval European history. Wilson will travel to Rome, Naples, Capri and Pompeii for research on the architecture and setting of the ancient Roman novel, The Satyricon. He will also have intensive Italian language study.
More information about Class of 1938 Fellowships can be found on the International Student and Scholar Services website.