The Center for Global Initiatives at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has awarded $134,927 in financial support to 36 students to complete global internships, independent research and self-designed projects during the summer of 2013. These awards, funded by private gifts to the UNC Global Education Fund and the University, give students the opportunity for deep engagement with a global community through work, experiential education, teaching or research.
The Center for Global Initiatives at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has awarded $134,927 in financial support to 36 students to complete global internships, independent research and self-designed projects during the summer of 2013. These awards, funded by private gifts to the UNC Global Education Fund and the University, give students the opportunity for deep engagement with a global community through work, experiential education, teaching or research.
“These real-life engagement experiences are pivotal for students in our increasingly global world,” said Niklaus Steiner, director of the Center for Global Initiatives. “Completing a global internship, research or study experience internationally gives our students significant advantages in the post-graduation job market.”
Below are the descriptions of the awards, fellowships, and scholarships, followed by a listing of the 2013 recipients alphabetically by North Carolina County, states and country. Additional information about each award is available on the UNC Center for Global Initiatives website at: http://cgi.unc.edu/awards.
C.V. Starr Scholarship
The C.V. Starr Scholarships support UNC students who demonstrate financial need to undertake an independent internationally oriented experience. Any undergraduates with a 2.8 GPA and financial need, or international graduate students are eligible to apply. The scholarships were established at UNC in 2004 with an endowed gift from The Starr Foundation. Since 1980, C.V. Starr Scholarships have been established at more than 80 major universities, liberal arts colleges and graduate and professional schools worldwide.
Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship
The Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship enables promising UNC undergraduates to create a self-designed health-related project anywhere in the world. The fellowship is an investment in talented students whose medical and cultural experience will strengthen the future of health care worldwide.
International Internship Award
These awards are intended to support UNC undergraduate and master’s-level students (J.D. and M.D. students also may apply) who have secured internationally focused internships that will advance their academic and professional careers. Upon completing the internship and returning to UNC, students should build the internship experience into their academic program.
The UNC Global Education Fund, the only pan-University fund supporting UNC’s Global Priorities, makes many of these internships possible. In addition, the Lori Lewis Schipper International Internship Fund and the Michael W. Stephens International Internship Fund, as noted below, make two of the internships possible.
Peacock REACH Award
This two-year $30,000 fellowship allows one doctoral candidate to conduct field research during the first year and then teach a related course during the second. The fellowship is named in honor of UNC anthropology professor James L. Peacock for his distinguished and longstanding commitment to global education. It was created with a gift from the Twelve Labours Foundation of Carbondale, Colo.
Pre-Dissertation Travel Award
These awards help send doctoral candidates into the field to do preliminary explorations of potential research materials/sites in preparation for writing a dissertation proposal.
Vimy Global Team Award
Inspired by the adventures and pioneering spirit of UNC alumnus Peter McMillan, the Vimy Award is given annually to one interdisciplinary team of students (Vimy Scholars) working collaboratively to pursue research or service projects outside the United States. The UNC Global Education Fund makes this award possible.
NORTH CAROLINA RECIPIENTS:
Durham
Lauren Du Graf, a doctoral candidate from Durham, will travel to Paris to conduct exploratory archival research related to William Faulkner's influence on French New Wave cinema. At the Cinémathéque Française, she will examine rare and unpublished film journals related to the French New Wave, as well as the archive of director François Truffaut. Graf, who studies comparative literature in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Tessa Gurney, a doctoral candidate from Durham, will travel to Italy to conduct archival research on the perception of the Mediterranean ‘other’ in early modern Italy. Based at the State Archives in Florence and Venice, she will examine 16th and 17th century manuscripts and personal correspondence. Additionally, she will complete the first English translation of a 17th century Italian comedy, “Lo Schiavetto” (“The Little Slave”). Gurney, who studies in romance languages and literatures in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Candace Mixon, a doctoral candidate from Durham, will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, to conduct research on modern women's Sufi movements and perform archival research related to the daughter of the prophet of Islam, Fatima al-Zahra. Mixon, who studies in religious studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Marta Mulawa, a doctoral candidate from Durham, will travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to work with research staff on a National Institutes of Health-funded multilevel intervention to reduce HIV risk among networks of men in Tanzania. She will meet with local investigators and explore emerging themes with qualitative researchers interviewing men about their relationships, social networks, current employment situation, and aspirations for their future. Mulawa, who studies health behavior and health education in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Forsyth
Jasmine Jackson-Irwin, a rising senior from Winston-Salem, will travel to Frankfurt, Germany, to intern with the American Chamber of Commerce. Her work will focus on international trade policy research, business account services, event planning, and getting lost in translation. Jackson-Irwin, a political science and German double major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received an International Internship Award.
Guilford
Benjamin Martinez, a rising junior from High Point, will travel to Ecuador to partake in a medical internship with the organization VenaEcuador. As an intern, he will work directly with doctors and develop skills to communicate efficiently with patients. Martinez, a biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship.
Orange
David Bockino, a doctoral candidate from Chapel Hill, will travel to India to perform exploratory research for a longitudinal, qualitative, cross-cultural normative and economic analysis of the transition from journalism school to journalism practice. Bockino, who studies in journalism and mass communication, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Rebecca Chávez, a master’s candidate from Chapel Hill, will travel to Oaxaca, Mexico, to collaborate with a local non-governmental organization, Puente a la Salud Comunitaria. She will promote the health and well-being of poor families in rural communities through the implementation of a community-based nutrition program. Chavez, who studies in health behavior and health education in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received an International Internship Award.
Seth Congdon, a medical student from Carrboro, will complete a research internship at the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ). He will spend the summer in Lusaka, Zambia, working on a clinical research project studying the factors involved in rotavirus vaccine failure in Zambian infants. Congdon, who studies in the School of Medicine, received an International Internship Award.
Phoebe Ora DeKornfeld, a rising senior from Chapel Hill, will travel to southern Bangladesh to produce an audio documentary about the women of the Hope Fistula Clinic. Through oral history, this documentary will explore the social, economic, and gender justice issues surrounding obstetric fistula. DeKornfeld, a communications and women's studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship.
Natalia Deyneka, a law student from Chapel Hill, will intern with Human Rights First's Refugee Protection Program in New York City. Her work for the organization will include conducting intake interviews with potential asylum clients, performing interpretation services, extensive legal research, and other tasks as needed. Deyneka, who studies in the School of Law, received an International Internship Award.
Joel Hebert, a doctoral candidate from Chapel Hill, will travel to the United Kingdom to conduct archival research on former colonial settlers and their influence on British politics and political culture in the early 1980s. Hebert, who studies history in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Ariana Katz, a master’s candidate from Carrboro, will travel to Kumasi, Ghana, as a Summer Fellow with IntraHealth International to conduct follow up research and evaluate CapacityPlus’s Bottleneck and Best Buys (BBB) approach aimed at increasing health workforce capacity. Ariana will interview key stakeholders at medical, nursing, and midwifery schools, provide recommendations for scale-up potential, support implementation of a school management plan and assist in defining specifications for a medical school’s graduate tracking program. Katz, who studies in health behavior and health education in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received an International Internship Award.
Josh King, a rising senior from Chapel Hill, will travel to Australia to work as a research assistant at the Centre for International Mental Health in Melbourne. He will assist researchers on a project that seeks to strengthen community mental health programs in low-resource settings. King, a sociology and psychology double-major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
Caitlin Kleiboer, a master’s degree candidate from Carrboro, will travel to Kenya to work with Carolina for Kibera. Kleiboer will produce photo, video and written stories about CFK's projects for use in marketing, promotion and evaluation. Kleiboer, who studies in journalism and mass communication, received an International Internship Award.
Kai Schwartz, a master’s degree candidate from Chapel Hill will travel to Kibera, Kenya, to assist the Program Manager at Carolina for Kibera to complete a program assessment of their Education Program. Schwartz, who studies at the School of Social Work, received an International Internship Award.
Shannon Smith, a rising senior from Chapel Hill will travel to Zollikofen, Switzerland, where she will study the Swiss education system at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. She will conduct qualitative research and prepare a white paper that examines best practices in education and training and potential applications to North Carolina. Smith, a public policy major in the College of Arts and Sciences and education major in the School of Education, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
Mecklenburg
William (Billy) Gerhard, a rising senior from Matthews, will travel with Shannon Steel and Katie Overbey to San Cristóbal island in the Galápagos as a member of this year’s Vimy Global Team. There they will measure fecal indicator levels in both drinking and recreational water, and then map locations of highest fecal contamination. Gerhard is a biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Randolph
Brooke Foster, a rising senior from Randleman, will travel to Guatemala to volunteer at Casa Jackson Hospital through The GOD's CHILD Project. She will be providing care for malnourished infants and children up to 10 years of age. Foster, a nursing major in the School of Nursing, received a Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship.
Rutherford
Amy Patel, a master’s degree candidate from Spindale, will conduct a comparison study of alternative medicine use among Guanajuatans in Central North Carolina and in Guanajuato, Mexico, in partnership with Proyecto Puentes de Salud. The project will examine how migration may affect individual health practices and how this in turn may affect health care service and delivery in Central North Carolina. Patel, who studies health behavior and health education in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received an International Internship Award.
Union
Eyerusalem Haile, a rising senior from Indian Trail, will travel to Kampala, Uganda, to volunteer with the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa Network. Her work will entail various inclusive projects of women's rights advocacy within the region and assistance in project implementations. Haile, a global studies and African and Afro-American Studies double major, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
Wake
Alina Clarke, a rising sophomore from Raleigh, will travel to Guyana to intern with the government's Ministry of Health. She will be working within the Regional Health Services Programme and the Planning Unit of the Ministry. Clarke, a health policy and management major in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received an International Internship Award.
Samantha Tulenko, a rising senior from Wake Forest, will travel to Dhaka, Bangladesh, to conduct research on arsenic in tube well water at the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research in Bangladesh, where she will also prepare a report about improving the current public health interventions for arsenic contamination. Tulenko, an environmental health science major in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received a Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship.
OUT-OF-STATE RECIPIENTS
Alabama
Alexander Beale, a rising junior from Auburn, will travel to Santiago, Chile, to intern with Manga Corta, an e-commerce start-up. His work will include social media marketing, product management, and business development. Beale, a business major in the Kenan-Flagler Business School and computer science major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received the Michael W. Stephens International Internship Award.
Florida
Christopher Bowen, a doctoral candidate from Coconut Grove, will go to Prague in the Czech Republic to begin preliminary research for his dissertation proposal. His research will focus on constructions of gender, nationalism and rural life in the “village operas” of late-19th and early-20th century Czech composers. Bowen, who studies in musicology in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Sebastian Posada, a rising senior from Weston, will travel to Rwanda and work with two nongovernmental organizations and Rwanda’s Ministry of Health on providing safe water to Rwandan citizens. He will also present his research at two local universities. Posada, an economics and romance langauges and literatures double major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
Shannon Steel, a rising senior from St. Petersburg, will travel with Billy Gerhard and Katie Overbey to San Cristóbal island in the Galápagos as a member of this year’s Vimy Global Team. They will measure fecal indicator levels in both drinking and recreational water, and then map locations of highest fecal contamination. Steel is a geography major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Georgia
Sarah Barger, a rising senior from Atlanta, will travel to Auckland, New Zealand, to intern at the Centre for Tobacco Control Research in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland as a research assistant for the AWHI-Incentives Feasibility Study. Barger will work with women of Maori descent, the indigenous group comprising 15 percent of the national population, to evaluate the feasibility of a financial-based incentive intervention to increase cessation rates among pregnant Maori smokers. Barger, an American studies and psychology double major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Lori Lewis Schipper International Internship Award.
Nicole Fauster, a rising junior from Norcross, will be working with the World Organization Against Torture in Tunis, Tunisia. She will be responsible for monitoring legal and human rights developments and preparing country summaries based on local and international media coverage. Fauster, a global studies and peace, war, and defense double major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received an International Internship Award.
South Carolina
Hoang (Ping) Nguyen, a rising senior from Rock Hill, will travel to Vietnam to intern with Empowering Foundations for Women and Their Children in DaNang, Vietnam. His work will focus on raising awareness for women in poverty through education, advocacy and activism. Nguyen, a women's studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
Virginia
Katie Overbey, a rising senior from Yorktown, will travel with Shannon Steel and Billy Gerhard to San Cristóbal island in the Galápagos as the leader of this year’s Vimy Global Team. They will measure fecal indicator levels in both drinking and recreational water, and then map locations of highest fecal contamination. Overbey is an environmental sciences major in the College of Arts and Sciences.
China
Min Yang, a rising junior from Foshan, will travel to South China and station at the Guangdong Provincial STD Control Center to conduct a qualitative evaluation of HIV self-testing programs. Yang, a health policy and management major in the Gillings School of Global Public Health and a math major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a Carolina Undergraduate Health Fellowship.
India
Aseem Hasnain, a doctoral candidate from Lucknow, will conduct field research in Lucknow and Hyderabad, India. His project examines the formation of collective identities among the Shia, a community nested within the Muslim minority. His project studies politics and culture over the 20th century. In Spring 2014, he will teach a course titled “Collective Identities: Becoming, and Belonging” for the curriculum in Global Studies. Hasnain, who studies in sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, received the Peacock REACH Fellowship.
Kenya
Chris Bernard Agala, a doctoral candidate from Nairobi, will travel to Tanzania to intern with the Tanzania Women Research Foundation. His work will involve assessment of self-efficacy of counselors in a trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy random controlled trial. Agala, who studies in health policy and management in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
Nigeria
Chinelo Okigbo, a doctoral candidate originally from Lagos, will travel to Nigeria to explore the feasibility of conducting a mixed methodology research on the role of social stigma in accessing reproductive health care services in a community in urban Nigeria. Her focus on urban poor women is being driven by the recent focus on the interplay between urbanization, health and economic development. Okigbo, who studies in maternal and child health in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, received a Pre-Dissertation Travel Award.
Russia
Ekaterina Turta, a master’s candidate from Tyumen will visit the University of Birmingham, U.K. to do research on the collaboration between Russian émigré writer A.M. Remizov and his most prolific translator Alec Brown. Turta, who studies in slavic languages and literatures in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a C.V. Starr Scholarship.
UNC Global contact: Katie Bowler Young, (919) 962-4504, kbowler@unc.edu
Center for Global Initiatives contact: Tripp Tuttle, (919) 843-7546, Tripp.Tuttle@unc.edu
News Services contact: Tanya Moore, (919) 962-1221, tanya_moore@unc.edu