University of Georgia Morehead Honors College

Our next Honors International Scholars highlight is on three of our students who participated in the Cortona Science and Art History Maymester.   Julia Hustead, Landon Poythress, and Dawson Templin traveled to Italy this May with the UGA Cortona program. Between studies of biology for medicine and Italian art history, these students visited Rome, Siena, and Florence, seeing incredible cultural sites like the Colosseum, the Duomo of Siena, the Uffizi Gallery, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. As an Italian minor, Julia honed her language skills by interacting with native Italians in everyday settings. “Being in Italy allowed me to learn so much about the regular language use and how daily life works,” she shared. “I spoke with many Italians in their native tongue, and it was a unique and fulfilling experience. I was able to progress my Italian studies and meet so many lovely people.” Meanwhile, Landon was surprised that the experience of studying overseas prepared her for her intended career in genetic counseling. “I will use this experience as a reminder that ensuring that my patients feel valued and understood, especially as a genetic counselor, is perhaps the most important part of the job. Without this feeling of connection, communication about more complicated topics regarding the genetics of the patient will be lost. Looking back on my study abroad experience, I can confidently say that I believe I will be a better genetic counselor, friend, and citizen of the world because of the lessons I learned about feeling out-of-place.”     Dawson similarly found that the cultural exposure that comes with studying abroad shaped his post-graduate plans. “Long-term, Cortona reaffirmed my global interests and values, and I hope to understand and make time to learn from others further in global perspective for a future career. I am interested in the international advancement of communities and businesses in terms of healthcare and community development, and having the ability to explore Europe and develop a passion for other languages and country cultures helps me pursue that dream.” To learn more about the Honors International Scholars Program, visit https://lnkd.in/e4tkJWFm.

Our next Fulbright Feature is Clemencia El Antouri! Clemencia is from Covington, GA, and graduated with a double major in international affairs and romance languages (French and Spanish). As a Fulbrighter, she will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in New Taipei, Taiwan, for a year. During her time at UGA, Clemencia was a Russell Security Leadership Program Fellow, a SPIA Ambassador, and a junior advisor for the Office of Global Engagement. She also was a 2024 winner of the prestigious Pickering Fellowship, which prepares talented students for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. The U.S. Student Fulbright Program funds American citizens to study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. Fulbright awardees serve as cultural ambassadors to more than 140 countries worldwide, promoting mutual understanding and gifting accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals with an unparalleled experience abroad. UGA’s on-campus U.S. Student Fulbright Program adviser is housed in the Morehead Honors College. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/es5FUG9j.

Congratulations to Honors alumni William Ferrand (BBA ’15), Mindy Lipsitz (BS ’08), and Camir Ricketts (BS ’15), who were selected into UGA's 40 Under 40 Class of 2024! William protects consumers from harm as the senior manager, risk and compliance, at Protiviti. Mindy is a community-minded emergency medicine physician at St. Charles Medical Center who studies and teaches globally. Camir spearheads AI discoveries in health care as a bioinformatics scientist at NVIDIA and founder of MindsOf Initiative. Congratulations to you all! https://lnkd.in/eGvPBk7

So many of our amazing students had the opportunity to travel the world this summer—and year—through the Honors International Scholars Program. Today, we're restarting our Honors International Scholar Highlights with Maggie Abboud! In May, Maggie participated in the SPIA a Firenze study abroad program. Through the UGA School of Public and International Affairs's SPIA a Firenze, she traveled to Florence, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, and Venice while studying food security and women in politics. As a pre-med student studying biology, French, and health policy and management, she found ample connections to her academic pursuits in the United States, from comparing the Italian language and culture to French and discussing on the impact of food security on health outcomes. “During this program, I had the chance to take a course called Food Security in Italy. We discussed how each region’s climate, terrain, access to ingredients, wealth, and level of transportation affected the population’s food security... In each case, studying food security allowed me to form connections with the public health courses I have taken at UGA.” To learn more about the Honors International Scholars Program, visit https://lnkd.in/e4tkJWFm.

Our second Fulbright Feature is Leah Whitmoyer, a 2024-2025 Fulbright Research Grant recipient! Hailing from Tucker, GA, Leah graduated from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with a degree in biological science and is a Class of 2024 Foundation Fellow. On her Fulbright Research Grant, she will travel to Tunisia to study fruit and vegetable production in conditions of water scarcity with the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia. While at UGA, Leah served as an intern with Concrete Jungle, volunteered with UGArden, and conducted agricultural research for a semester in Jordan. “I'm so excited to use the research, agriculture, and language skills I developed at UGA to support food producers dealing with drought. I look forward to spending time on farms and getting to know the farmers of Tunisia's local food system!" The Fulbright U.S. Student Program funds American citizens to study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. Fulbright awardees serve as cultural ambassadors to more than 140 countries worldwide, promoting mutual understanding and gifting accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals with an unparalleled experience abroad. UGA’s on-campus Fulbright U.S. Student Program adviser is housed in the Morehead Honors College. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/es5FUG9j.

Last month, we celebrated Honors in Washington at Cuba Libre in D.C.! We had the best time connecting this summer's interns with our amazing D.C. area alumni. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. We can't wait to see you next year!

Over the next few weeks, we'll be featuring some of our Fulbright U.S. Student recipients for 2024-2025. First up is Natasha Dorr-Kapczynski, a class of 2024 Foundation Fellow! As a Fulbrighter, Natasha will receive one year of intensive training in Mandarin before completing a master’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language from National Taiwan Normal University, focusing her thesis on the acquisition of Mandarin by Spanish speakers. She hopes that a future career as a Mandarin teacher will increase global access to education and cultural understanding. Natasha graduated from UGA with degrees in Chinese and romance languages. Beyond languages, she is interested in dance, and plans to engage with the local community in Taiwan through Latin and Chinese dance. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program funds American citizens to study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. Fulbright awardees serve as cultural ambassadors to more than 140 countries worldwide, promoting mutual understanding and gifting accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals with an unparalleled experience abroad. UGA’s on-campus U.S. Student Fulbright Program adviser is housed in the Morehead Honors College. For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/es5FUG9j.

We are thrilled to announce that we were named the top honors college in the nation by College Transitions, LLC! College Transitions identified three general characteristics—selectivity, benefits offered, and program rigor—for which each honors program or college was scored. We are so excited to be recognized. It all comes down to the incredible work of our students, our staff, and the UGA faculty and administrators who support us every day. Read more at https://lnkd.in/ea-HrSPf.

We had the great pleasure of welcoming A.E. Stallings back to campus today and sharing with her a proclamation from President Morehead, read by Dean Margaret A. “Meg” Amstutz! A.E. Stallings, a Foundation Fellow in the Class of 1990, is in town ahead of the UGA Humanities Festival’s kickoff reception this evening. In addition to fielding questions about writing, translating, the Classics, languages, and audience, she read from “This Afterlife,” which features her selected poems. A.E. Stallings is an American poet who studied Classics at the University of Georgia and Oxford. In October 2023, she began her four-year elected term as Oxford Professor of Poetry, one of the world’s most prestigious academic honors in the field of poetry. She has published four collections of poetry, Archaic Smile, Hapax, Olives, and most recently, Like, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She has published three verse translations, Lucretius’s The Nature of Things (in rhyming fourteeners!), Hesiod’s Works and Days, and an illustrated The Battle Between the Frogs and the Mice. https://lnkd.in/ebN7hHzc

Yesterday was Crossover Day for the Georgia legislature, and UGA’s Arch Policy Institute was there for all the action! UGA undergrads met with Athens-area representatives Spencer Frye and Houston Gaines, saw voting on many House bills (one of our students had to take a mid-term while in the House Chamber!), met with state Sen. Blake Tillery, watched Gov. Bryan Kemp sign the state’s amended fiscal 2024 budget, and then talked with Greg Bluestein, political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All are UGA alumni involved in politics in Georgia. The trip was led by Honors junior Saanvikha Saravanan, API’s executive director, and accompanied by Dean Meg Amstutz and communications coordinator Stephanie Schupska. The Arch Policy Institute—sponsored by the Morehead Honors College—is a non-partisan, student-run policy think tank that empowers UGA students to become active and informed citizens. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/e87E9EMg.