Wheaton student earns Fulbright to Peru

Laura Berman, a 2003 Wheaton graduate, is the recipient of a Fulbright award for research on economic development in Peru.

A resident of North Kingstown, R.I., Berman will spend a year in Peru, researching and analyzing the effects of energy privatization on the Peruvian economy as an associate of the Group for the Analysis of Development, a private research center in Lima.

''I plan to examine the costs and benefits of energy decentralization in southern Peru, a threatening prospect to the percentage of the population (more than half) who earn less than two dollars a day,'' Berman wrote in her Fulbright application. ''My hope is that the results of my research, resulting in a balanced assessment of both the potential value of privatization policies and the public fears surrounding energy decentralization, will be a resource for Peruvian policy makers.''

In addition to her research, Berman will be studying Peruvian economics and politics at Pontifica Universidad Catolica del Peru. At Wheaton, Berman majored in international relations and Hispanic studies, and founded the Global Interest Group to promote greater global awareness at the Wheaton. As a sophomore Berman organized a group of Wheaton students to participate in a month-long Habitat for Humanity project in Veracruz, Mexico, and as a junior she studied for a year in Cordoba, Spain.

Berman joins several of her college peers in receiving prestigious academic awardsWheaton students earned six Fulbright awards and one Truman scholarship this year.

Upon her return to the U.S., Berman plans to pursue graduate study for a master's degree in international relations or international economics. She envisions a career in promoting economic change in Latin America, working at public policy research institute or a non-profit organization.