Undergraduate Associates 2016–2017
The following students have been appointed Undergraduate Student Associates for the 2016–2017 academic year and have received grants to support travel in connection with their senior thesis research on international affairs.
Hana S. Connelly (History, Literature), Williams/Lodge International Government and Public Affairs Fellow. Imperial Russian representations of Georgia and Chechnya in the mid-nineteenth century.
Jessica Margaret Dorfmann (Social Studies), Williams/Lodge International Government and Public Affairs Fellow. Teaching indigenous history in a nation of immigrants in Australia.
Melda Ayse Gurakar (Social Studies), Frank M. Boas Fellow. Understanding human rights and justice in the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkey.
Kais Khimji (Social Studies), Canada Program Undergraduate Fellow. Ismaili faith and Canadian government.
Samantha Deborah Luce (Social Studies), Rogers Family Research Fellow. Taxi violence and the politics of mobility in post-apartheid South Africa.
Domenica Alejandra Merino (Social Studies), Simmons Family Research Fellow. Public conceptualization of the Zika virus.
Sarah Nyangweso Michieka (African and African American Studies), Rogers Family Research Fellow. Kenyan political processes and how they are translating to the diaspora in the light of the recent expansion of the diaspora vote.
Toby Spencer Roper (Social Studies), Sobin Family Research Fellow. A comparative analysis of the varied response of EU nations to the recent refugee crisis.
Nick Thomas John Wood (History, Literature), Transatlantic Relations Undergraduate Fellow. The Falkland/Malvinas Islands as public and private contested space from April to June 1982.
Bharath Venkatesh (South Asian Studies), Williams/Lodge International Government and Public Affairs Fellow. The economic history of transportation in South Asia.
Henry Sewall Udayan Shah (History, Literature), Williams/Lodge International Government and Public Affairs Fellow. Comparative study of urban exclusion and eviction in India and France.
Jonathan Andrew Sands (Social Studies, Global Health and Health Policy), Williams/Lodge International Government and Public Affairs Fellow. Understanding the role of NGOs in Mexico’s gay rights movement.
Allyson Rose Perez (Social Studies), Williams/Lodge International Government and Public Affairs Fellow. Demystifying and identifying opportunities for US-Cuba agricultural relations.
2016 Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize Winners
The Weatherhead Center congratulates the following Undergraduate Associates who were awarded 2016 Thomas Temple Hoopes Prizes on the basis of their outstanding scholarly work.
Hanna Amanuel, “(In)visible Bodies: The National Campaign to ‘Eradicate’ Female Genital Cutting in Eritrea.”
Alice Siqi Han, “Double Détente: The Role of Gaullist France and Maoist China in the Formation of Cold War Détente, 1954–1973.”
Bianca Mulaney, “Superbugs from Superdrugs: Understanding the Health Impact of Antibiotic Usage in Agriculture (An Economic Approach).”
Lunch with Kenneth I. Juster Fellows from 2014–2016
Each spring, the Honorable Kenneth I. Juster has lunch with current and former Juster Fellows at the Harvard Faculty Club to discuss their research opportunities and future plans.
Javier Aranzales, a junior government concentrator, used his Juster grant in January 2016 to participate in a research internship with Evaldesign, a research consulting firm in New Delhi, India, where he learned about the impact of education initiatives in the development sector. This summer he will be interning with Google’s People Operations Department and with Guitars over Guns, an arts for youth development organization in Miami after which he’ll return to Harvard in the fall for his final semester.
Colette Bishogo, a senior African and African American studies concentrator, used her Juster grant to travel to Rwanda in January 2015 to investigate how Rwanda’s government managed to sustain a rapidly growing economy while at the same time maintaining political stability. Colette returned to Africa in the summer of 2015 to complete her thesis research comparing local government efficiency at service delivery in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gisenyi in Rwanda. After graduation, she will be working for a few years in investment banking in New York City. But she plans to continue writing about Africa and would like to pursue future studies in political science and possibly business school.
Karla Mendoza, a junior cognitive neuroscience and evolutionary psychology concentrator, used her Juster grant in January 2016 to travel to Ghana with a nonprofit organization, Saha Global, to work with local women to establish and implement a sustainable water purification business/entrepreneurship in rural Ghana.
Sarah Michieka, a junior African and African American studies concentrator, used her Juster grant in January 2016 to travel to Nairobi to conduct exploratory thesis research on attitudes towards voting technology options. She will return to Kenya this summer to conduct her senior thesis research, conducting interviews of Kenyan diaspora group leaders in the United States and in Nairobi.
Nirosha Perera, a senior concentrating in history and science, used her Juster grant in January 2015 to travel to Sri Lanka to observe and work with the Ministry of Health’s medical relief program to learn about healthcare delivery and disease prevention. Next year she will be starting medical school at Stanford School of Medicine.
Allyson Perez, a junior social studies concentrator, traveled to Cuba in January 2016 to participate in a sustainable food and farming program. This summer, Allyson will be expanding upon the research she did in Cuba with research in Washington, DC, Cuba, and Miami on the US-Cuba agricultural trade relationship in preparation for her senior honors thesis in social studies.
Shawheen Rezaei, a junior economics concentrator, used his Juster grant in January 2015 to travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for an internship at the Grameen Bank to learn about development banking’s ability to alleviate extreme poverty. This summer, he will be working at the UNDP in Cairo and at Oliver Wyman in Boston. This fall, Shawheen will start Harvard’s Master in Middle Eastern Studies Program while writing his senior thesis in development economics.
Bharath Venkatesh, a junior South Asian studies concentrator, used his Juster grant in January 2014 to participate in an internship in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He worked with the NGO Swisscontact, conducting research on agriculture produce price-setting behavior in rural village markets. This summer, Bharath will embark upon his senior thesis field research on changing class identities and aspirations in postliberalization South Asia.
Photo Caption
The Honorable Kenneth I. Juster, center, dines with Juster Fellows. Left to right: Allyson Perez, Karla Mendoza, Bharath Venkatesh, Sarah Michieka, Shawheen Rezaei, Javier Aranzales, Colette Bishogo, Nirosha Perera.