Seven students receive Class of 1938 fellowships for study abroad

(From left to right) Anna Mee ‘19, Thomas (Souli) Fertitta-Boutis ‘19, Caroline Mueller ‘20, Andrea Cazales ‘19, Isabella Hernandez ‘18, Siani Antoine ‘20, Walter Vozzo ‘21.
(From left to right) Anna Mee ‘19, Thomas (Souli) Fertitta-Boutis ‘19, Caroline Mueller ‘20, Andrea Cazales ‘19, Isabella Hernandez ‘18, Siani Antoine ‘20, Walter Vozzo ‘21.

Seven undergraduates at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received the Class of 1938 Summer Project Abroad Fellowships for research abroad in summer 2018.

Students were chosen based on the quality of their proposals, financial need and personal, academic and professional purpose. Each student will receive $5,000. The awardees were chosen by a committee of Class of 1938 members who are all former fellows.

The recipients are Siani Antoine ’20, Andrea Cazales ’19, Thomas (Souli) Fertitta-Boutis ’19, Isabella Hernandez ’18, Anna Mee ’19, Caroline Mueller ’20 and Walter Vozzo ’21.

Every year since 1975, an endowment created by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Class of 1938 has funded independent projects abroad by Carolina students. The original class members, who lived through and lost friends in World War II, created the endowment to help foster international understanding and promote world peace. International Student and Scholar Services administers the award.

“These talented and dedicated students embody the spirt of the Class of 1938 gift as ambassadors of Carolina,” said Jane Rosenberg, assistant director for student and exchange visitor services at UNC-Chapel Hill. “As they engage in their studies and work abroad, they will promote understanding and communication across cultures while pursuing their personal passions.”

Siani Antoine ’20, from Raleigh, North Carolina, is majoring in history with minors in chemistry and African American diaspora studies. Antoine will visit several cities in Poland and Lithuania to study Jewish culture and life prior to, during and post-World War II. She will also research how the Holocaust is taught and memorialized.

Andrea Cazales ’19, from Bluffton, South Carolina, is majoring in nursing. Cazales will travel to San José, Costa Rica, to explore the impact of the Costa Rican culture on the creation and implementation of culturally tailored nursing care plans in hospitals. She is interested in health disparities and health inquiry, with a focus on diabetes prevention and management, particularly in those with Hispanic/Latino heritage.

Thomas (Souli) Fertitta-Boutis ’19, from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, is majoring in peace, war and defense. Fertitta-Boutis will travel to Syracuse, Italy, to volunteer and conduct research at the Intercultural Studies Center, a refugee camp and school for young refugees. He plans to produce journalistic essays focusing on individuals’ lives in the camp and analyze his findings in the context of contemporary understandings of history and politics.

Isabella Hernandez ’18, from Angier, North Carolina, is majoring in South Asian studies and political science with a minor in Middle Eastern languages. Hernandez will travel to Istanbul and Bursa, Turkey, to research the Bosnian diaspora. She will study how Bosnian families and individuals have adapted culturally and linguistically since migrating to Turkey during and after the Bosnian war.

Anna Mee ’18, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is majoring in philosophy with minors in studio art and anthropology. Mee will travel to London, England, to explore the local art scene and its relationship with England’s legacy of colonial attitudes. She plans to present her findings in an exhibition of her own.

Caroline Mueller ’20, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is majoring in contemporary European studies and management and society with a minor in German. Mueller will go to Berlin, Germany, and Prague, Czech Republic, to research her family history during the Holocaust and World War II. She plans to translate her grandfather’s memoirs once returning to the U.S. after exploring the cities where he lived.

Walter Vozzo ’21, from Raleigh, North Carolina, is majoring in history. Vozzo will travel to several cities and towns throughout England to study the role of small businesses and public spaces in the cultural sustainability of flowers and gardens.

More information about Class of 1938 Fellowships can be found on the International Student and Scholar Services website.