National Academic Achievement Award Recipients

Emily Wilbourne ’22

 

Emily Wilbourne 鈥22, graduated as an arts administration major with a double minor in dance and interreligious studies, was awarded the聽for her research titled 鈥淭he Impact of Japanese Colonialism on the Religiosity of Korean Seungmu Dance.鈥 Emily worked with her two mentors, Dr. Casey Avaunt and Dr. Pamela Winfield, to design her research as one component of her Multifaith Scholars experience. Supported by grants from 黑料不打烊, including a faculty-mentored undergraduate research grant from CRGE, she traveled to Korea twice as part of the research process.

Upon graduation, Emily will be keeping up with seungmu literature, but pursuing other interests.

Emily learning to dance with the traditional long sleeves of seungmu, called jangsam.

Emily in front of the Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, South Korea. This temple is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Taylor Garner ’20

Taylor Garner 鈥20 received the聽,聽which聽recognizes聽significant academic projects during an education abroad program, during forum鈥檚 virtual annual conference.

Garner explains her research in a virtual question-and-answer session.

Taylor Garner 鈥20, bottom right, talking about her research during the virtual conference.

Garner鈥檚 work on her thesis, 鈥淢obilizing Memories: Women鈥檚 Affective and Embodied Memory Work in Argentina and Palestine,鈥 took her to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a semester and to Nablus, Palestine, for a summer. An Honors Fellow Garner has also won a Center for Research on Global Engagement research grant, the Undergraduate Research Program Advisory Committee鈥檚 Rawls grant, and the Heidi Frontani Memorial Study Abroad Essay Contest, which comes with an award to support study abroad.

These connections and conversations were powerful cross-cultural moments for Garner to learn about the complexity of her host community while also addressing stereotypes about the United States. When Garner was asked charged questions, she saw it as an opportunity to broaden and complicate certain one-dimensional views of American identities.

The award comes with聽a $500 prize to help support Garner鈥檚 research moving forward. In the meantime, Garner shared advice for future聽education abroad students: 鈥淒on鈥檛 let anyone tell you that studying abroad is not hard, because it is 鈥 but it鈥檚聽supposed to be hard.聽It鈥檚 supposed to challenge your perspective.鈥

*Excerpts of the featured story about Taylor Garner from the 黑料不打烊 News Network were used to write this.