Wheaton names six Davis International Fellows
December 15, 1999
Wheaton College announces the recipients of the January 2000 Davis International Fellows Program, supported by the Shelby Collum Davis Foundation. Recipients are awarded a stipend to support living and travel expenses while participating in an overseas internship in the month of January, volunteer service activity or research under the guidance of a Wheaton faculty sponsor. The six recipients were chosen from among 23 applicants for the January fellow positions.
Economics major James Jarret ’01 of Arlington, Mass. has been chosen for a Davis International Fellowship for study in Uganda. Jarret will analyze the effects of HIV/AIDS on the rural and urban labor forces of Uganda. Through interviews with employers, doctors, and academics, he plans to link his work in Uganda with a senior project on HIV/AIDS and development economics in Africa. "The interviews that will be most valuable for the study of economics is with employers, which will provide me with data on absenteeism, falling or rising productivity, and labor turnover," explained Jarret. He has done extensive reading and coursework in preparation for his work in Uganda, including self-instruction in Swahili.
Working as a teacher’s assistant in a community development program, Makiyah Moody ’00 of Nashua, N.H. will further her experience as a Hispanic studies major by living and working in Peru. "How individuals function within determined social structures is what I have researched during my college career," said Moody. "This experience will increase my level of cultural sensitivity and add depth to my idea of global awareness." Experiencing life in a culturally diverse Latin American country coupled with her interests in social development and child advocacy, is a stepping stone to Moody’s planned career in facilitating cross-cultural communication.
Preparing for a career in international business, Katherine Nute ’00 of East Hampstead, N.H., will also work on her senior thesis, "The Russian Orthodox Church and Its Revival in St. Petersburg" this January. Nute will work in St. Petersburg, Russia as a translator for a privately owned Russian building corporation, Uran, working on renovations of Orthodox churches. "My work with Uran will allow me to establish non-threatening connections with the priests and parishioners, which will facilitate the gathering of more primary research materials," Nute said.
Chad Prashad ’01 of Port Charlotte, FL will develop his interests in international law through an internship with the Belgian branch of the Canadian Barristers and Solicitors Bureau. Serving as a legal assistant, Chad will research trade law, public international law, economics and development studies in the preparation of a World Trade Organization (WTO) guide. "The firm’s location in Brussels, the seat of the European Union and the WTO, will provide me with a rare opportunity for immersion that may indeed cement my career goals, which involve the practice of international law." Chad is currently a visiting student at Oxford University in England, where he is taking courses in British foreign policy and the European Union.
John Walsh ’01 of Walpole, Mass., will conduct on-site research in England to support the joint efforts of two Wheaton faculty who are investigating Anglo-Saxon material culture of the ninth and tenth centuries. Their goal is to recreate, as closely as possible, the chemical mixtures described by the Anglo-Saxon medical books. Through this project, they hope to prove or disprove claims made by historians of medicine that the remedies described were effective in curing common bacterial illnesses. "Whether or not a validation is found, Wheaton was the first to take the steps to understanding whether or not Anglo-Saxon medicine had an empirical basis or was merely superstition, and the investigation itself will help to advance the cross-disciplinary study or an ancient culture." An English major, Walsh is currently a student at the University of Lancaster in central England, where he has arranged for access to library and archival resources in support of his research. When he returns to Wheaton, John plans to continue his work on this project, testing the chemical and biological materials.
Working to raise funds for earthquake victims in Turkey, Sally Zarcone ’00 of Portland, Maine will work with Turkish university students to targeting American corporations for donations in support of relief organizations. Zarcone, an English major, will also assist with children’s programs at earthquake rehabilitation centers in the city of Izmit. "My prior teaching experiences has not focused on needy children or international problems so I expect that my involvement with children in Turkey will be a challenge," said Sally. When she returns to campus in the spring of 2000, Zarcone will continue her relief efforts for Turkey. Her post-graduate plans include teaching English in non-Western countries.
The Davis International Fellows Program is an international Wheaton initiative supported by the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation, established in 1962 by Shelby Cullom Davis, the late U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. The foundation encourages global programs at institutions including Wheaton, Wellesley and Harvard. The Davis International Fellows Program was established under the guidance of Diana Davis Spencer '60.