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Alumni Updates: Japanese Studies Graduates 2020-2021 News: Japanese Studies Spring 2021

おめでとう!J Studies Major Second Cohort

The 2021 graduates of William & Mary’s Japanese Studies Program celebrated their academic achievements during a virtual commencement ceremony on Friday, May 21. They marked this milestone with their peers, William & Mary faculty and staff, and thirty guests, including family and friends. The graduates—Bobbi Joe Carwile, Caleb Rivers, Jackson Lawson, Reese Willis, Jin Lee, Campbell Wharton, Ben Ryan, and Kayla Zanders—represent the second cohort of students in the major. In addition to eight students in the major, William & Mary also honored three students in the minor: Amber Blanton, Anna Ledwin, and Kate Lucas.

Japanese Studies on-line graduation attendees
Japanese Studies on-line graduation attendees

Ms. Tomoko Nakamura, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan to the United States of America, in Washington, D.C., served as the ceremony’s guest speaker. Nakamura commended the students for becoming part of the bridge between two countries. By embarking on the journey to learn the language and culture of Japan, the graduates are poised for greater job opportunities. The lessons the students learned at William & Mary have allowed them to better understand the similarities and differences between their culture, Japanese culture, and many others around the globe. As globally minded citizens, they are ready to navigate today’s interconnected world.

2021 Kinyo Awardees (clockwise from top left): Ben Bowles. (100 level), Ryleigh Line (200), Ana Ledwin (400), and Ryujin Barlow (300)
2021 Kinyo Awardees (clockwise from top left): Ben Bowles. (100 level), Ryleigh Line (200), Ana Ledwin (400), and Ryujin Barlow (300)

The Japanese Studies Program also recognized students’ academic excellence during the ceremony. Jackson Lawson received the Book Award. Kinyo Awards recipients included Ben Bowles. (Japanese 100 level), Ryleigh Line (Japanese 200 level), Ryujin Barlow (Japanese 300 level), and Ana Ledwin (Japanese 400 level). Jackson Lawson, Kayla Zanders, Bobbi Joe Carwile, and Kelly Shea were inducted into the Japanese Honor Society.

Dr. Michael Cronin, William & Mary’s Japanese Studies Program Director and Associate Professor of Japanese Studies, commended the students for their hard work and resilience during such a challenging time, sharing that he learned great lessons from their ability to adapt to change. Noting that few students come to college with significant training in Japanese language, he was happy to see such great success in the students as they discovered something new after arriving at William & Mary. We extend congratulations to the Class of 2021, wishing them a successful and prosperous future. 皆さん、おめでとうございます!

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Graduates 2020-2021 News: Russian Studies spring2021more

Congratulations to our RPSS Graduates!

2021classOfRussianStudies

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Alumni Updates: Japanese Studies Graduates 2020-2021 News: Japanese Studies spring2021more

Japanese Studies Book Prize 2021

Congratulations to Jackson Lawson, the recipient of the 2021  Modern Languages and Literatures Book Prize in Japanese Studies!

Jackson Lawson, 300 level
Jackson Lawson, 300 level

During his time at William & Mary, Jackson built meaningful relationships with faculty and his peers, and he credits his professors and the lessons he learned in history and culture classes for helping him to foster a more holistic understanding of Japan.

The 22-year-old turned his focus to adulthood in Japan for his senior thesis. Using approaches from ethnographic studies, Jackson examined how modern Japanese youth are straying away from the old standards that mark the arrival of adulthood, such as securing full-time employment, marriage, and childhood. Instead, they define adulthood by their individual actions and responsibility.

Jackson’s ardent interest in Japanese language and culture is apparent as his dedication to Japanese studies extended beyond his classwork. He often studied the language during his downtime and even completed a flashcard deck of nearly 10,000 words in Japanese! He eagerly anticipates in-person experiences with the culture this fall with a study abroad program in Osaka and looks forward to teaching English in Japan and entering other areas of education, U.S. Foreign Service, and other Japan-related fields. We congratulate Jackson on his accomplishments and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

 

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Graduates 2020-2021 News: German Studies spring2021more Uncategorized

Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

We have had a stellar graduating class this year in German Studies! Far-flung geographically and in terms of their interests and secondary majors, the class of 2021 had to finish their last year of college in a global pandemic. Some entered W&M with a lot of German, some with none, and all caught the bug and decided to add the German major to their plan. Many in this class studied abroad, lived in the German House, and served as Teaching Assistants for first- and second-year students. The student-run German Studies newspaper, Die Zeitung, was founded by the class of 2021. All of them are on to big things: PhD and MA programs, Medical School, law school, Fulbrights, jobs. You will be forever remembered as the pandemic class, and you will be missed! Congratulations Grace Bruce, Caroline Cox, Amanda Fu, Daisy Garner, Michael Griese, Ephraim Kozody, Emily Maison, Patrick Salsburg!

The 2021 Awards go to:

Outstanding Achievement Awards: Grace Bruce and Amanda Fu

German Studies Book Awards: Caroline Cox and Daisy Garner

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Graduates 2020-2021 News: French & Francophone Studies spring2021more Uncategorized

que de beaux souvenirs!

A thriving community

 

des années inoubliables

 

 

 

 

 

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Graduates 2020-2021 News News: French & Francophone Studies spring2021more Uncategorized

Félicitations, Class of 2021!

Congratulations to our splendid graduates, all majors in French & Francophone Studies:

Class of 2021

Jutta Appiah, Elizabeth de Jager, Manon Diz, Emily Foster, Danielle Grae, Justin Kaley, Zoe LeMenestrel, Noelle Mlynarczyk, Sally Mullis, Tristan Ramage, Monica Sandu, Lou Sheridan, Nori Thurman, Maddie Turner, and Madeleine Walker.

 

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Alumni Updates: Hispanic Studies Graduates 2020-2021 News: Hispanic Studies spring2021more

MLL Outstanding Achievement Award in Hispanic Studies awarded to Beau Nardo and Max Minogue

This year’s MLL Outstanding Achievement Award in Hispanic Studies is awarded to Max Minogue and Beau Nardo. This award acknowledges an outstanding graduating Hispanic Studies major with a strong record of achievements in the program.

Max has been a Teaching Assistant in the Hispanic Studies program and also studies Portuguese and Italian. After completing our Human Rights-oriented study abroad program in La Plata Argentina, Max has been recruited over several semesters to work with Profs. Tandeciarz and Konefal in the most selective and coveted W&M internship with the National Security Archive, during which time Max helped analyze declassified material related precisely to the military dictatorships in Argentina.

Max MinogueMax says, “I’m so grateful to receive this award after having already gotten so much from Modern Languages and specifically the Hispanic Studies department. No tengo palabras ni en inglés ni en español para expresar mi gratitud.” Max plans to teach English abroad for several years after graduating.

Beau NardoAfter graduating, Beau begins a graduate program in the fall at La Universidad Carlos III de Madrid working towards a Máster en Geopolítica y Estudios Estratégicos (Master in Geopolitics and Strategic Studies). There, he hopes to find employment in the field of diplomacy and international relations.

Beau has commented, “I am truly humbled that such an esteemed group of professors would choose me for this honor… I am still trying to find the words that will express my full gratitude to the HISP Department.

Hispanic Studies is grateful for the contributions of students like Max and Beau. We thank you for everything you have put into your studies and our program!

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Alumni Updates: Hispanic Studies Graduates 2020-2021 News: Hispanic Studies spring2021more

Caroline Brown and Cristina Sherer receive the Howard M. Fraser Award for Research contributions

The Howard M. Fraser Award has been awarded to Caroline Brown and Cristina Sherer. The award is in memory of Prof. Howard Fraser, a distinguished specialist in Latin American Literature and culture and is given to a graduating Hispanic Studies major who has made significant achievements in research and service.

Caroline BrownCaroline says, “I was truly honored to be selected for this award and I’m very grateful for it.” The photo of Caroline is from her semester abroad in La Plata. It was taken on a weekend hiking trip to El Calafate, to which she traveled with her dear friend and fellow Hispanic Studies major Hailey Ramsey (Class of 2019).  Caroline plans on getting her master’s in ESL at UVA. After certified to teach K-6 general education K-12 ESL, she will pursue opportunities teaching in elementary school in either a general education or ESL.

 

Cristina Sherer

A diligent and passionate student, Cristina completed an Honors Thesis that examined the recognition and use of inclusive language among Spanish speakers. Her research culminated in recommendations about implementing inclusive language for our own Hispanic Studies program. Cristina will begin a graduate program in ESL & Bilingual Education at the W&M School of Education in June. She would like to be certified both ESL and Spanish at stay in the Virginia area to teach after her one-year program of study. Cristina gives her “profuse thanks to the department for [her] many opportunities to do the work.”

Hispanic Studies is so proud of Cristina and Caroline’s work. Congratulations!

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Alumni Updates: Hispanic Studies Graduates 2020-2021 News: Hispanic Studies spring2021more

MacKenzie Krol and Julia Tripodi are awarded Merritt-Cox Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hispanic Studies

The Merritt Cox Award has been awarded to Julia Tripodi and Mackenzie Krol.

This award commemorates Prof. Merritt Cox, a distinguished specialist in 18th century Spain. It is awarded to a graduating Hispanic Studies major who has achieved an outstanding level of academic excellence in Hispanic Studies, and will pursue a graduate degree in the field. Julia is interested in teaching ESL and Spanish in the future.

GV - 2021 Spring - Tripodi_JuliaProfessor Cate-Aries recounts, “I remember with pride Julia’s field research project conducted while studying with our summer program in Cádiz, Spain. Because of her interest in educational issues related to equity for all students, teachers’ rights, and social activism, she chose to research current street protests in Spain related to citizens’ response to unpopular government measures to eliminate teaching positions in public education, increase work hours and the student-teacher ratio. She chose as her case study the group Marea Verde (The Green Tide), a nation-wide coalition comprised by educators, parents, and community members who champion quality public education against increasing cuts that compromise local and regional educational objectives. She not only was able to observe a massive demonstration in Cádiz in May 2019. She was able to ground her study of teachers’ complaints and activism within a larger context of the robust social movements more broadly in 21stcentury Spain. Her own future as a classroom teacher, after pursuing a Master’s degree at UVA in the fall, is incredibly promising.”

Mackenzie Krol

Mackenzie will be attending Wake Forest University in the fall for an MA. She says, “I feel extremely honored to receive this award. I am excited to pursue my masters in Translation and Interpreting Studies, and am grateful to have support from the WM Hispanic Studies Department!

Prof. Cate-Aries recalls, “I remember her final class project with particular admiration. She had access to a rare mimeographed archival document entitled “Cursillo de Capacitación Social”, a November 1966 training and educational manual for indigenous activists in the rural, indigenous community of Malacatancito, Guatemala. Mackenzie thoroughly researched the place of these widespread “cursillos/mini-courses” in the origins of the Latin American liberation theology movement, citing the 1966 document’s genesis in the climate of Vatican II (1962-1965) and the ongoing Latin American Catholic Church debates that spawned the Latin American Episcopal Council’s (CELAM) manifestos. Mackenzie’s translation provides historians and cultural studies practitioners a valuable primary text that succinctly overviews the most pressing socio-economic concerns—like homelessness, lack of health care, illiteracy rates, the necessity for more equitable agrarian land reform—that face marginalized communities and the faith groups who are committed to serving them. It was a top-notch piece of translation research.”

Congratulations, Mackenzie and Julia, for all your hard work!

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Graduates 2020-2021 News News: French & Francophone Studies spring2021more Uncategorized

Well-Deserved Honors

WE SALUTE THE FOLLOWING SENIORS
WHO HAVE JUST COMPLETED THEIR HONORS THESIS PROJECTS:

 

Justin portraitJustin Kaley, “Le mollétisme comme paradigme : le déclin et l’avenir en doute du Parti socialiste de France” (High Honors)

 

 

 

Sally Mullis portraitSally Mullis, “Des Oiseaux Spectaculaires: Birds Observed and Imagined in French Culture under Louis XIV” (Highest Honors)

 

 

 

Nori ThurmanNori Thurman, “La Noblesse de Diplôme”: Evolution of the French Baccalauréat as an Instrument of Elite Selection (High Honors)