Alumnae Association Fellowship Program Names Five Scholars

New York, NY, May 9, 2002—The Alumnae Association of Barnard College (AABC) has awarded its annual fellowships to five scholars: Amy Boutell ’98, Katie Graves-Abe ’02, Susan Park ’98, Elta Smith ’01 and Miriam Greenblatt Weidberg ’97.

"The goal of the fellowship is to encourage graduates in whatever field they may pursue," says Hadassah Brooks Morgan, M.D., Chair of the AABC Fellowship Committee. "Barnard leads women’s colleges in the percentage of alumnae who pursue graduate degrees in all fields."

This year’s fellows, who will be studying a variety of subjects, reflect the goals of the fellowship program.

Amy Boutell ’98, summa cum laude, was born in Eugene, Oregon. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a major in English and a concentration in writing. Since graduating she has worked in book, magazine, and web publishing in New York City. In 2001, she won a scholarship to Summer Literary Seminars, a writing workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia. This fall she will begin an M.F.A. program in Writing at the University of Texas at Austin as a James A. Michener Fellow to study fiction and screenwriting.

Katie Graves-Abe ’02 just graduated from Barnard this May with a major in Sociology. She is currently part of the 5-Year Program between Barnard and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. As part of this program, she will be receiving a Master's degree in International Affairs in May 2003. Her concentration at SIPA is Economic and Political Development. After completing graduate school, she plans to pursue a career in education development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Susan Park ’98, cum laude, graduated with a major in Environmental Science. Upon graduating from Barnard, she worked as a research assistant and GIS coordinator for the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. While working for the Museum, she assisted with a humpback whale project and spent two summers as a field research assistant in Madagascar. Following her experience at the Museum, she worked as a paralegal specialist in the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. At the Justice Department, she supported trial attorneys during the investigation and prosecution of criminal violations of federal environmental statutes. Currently she is pursuing a Master of International Affairs at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. In the fall of 2002, she will commence studying at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she has been named a Public Interest Scholar. After completing her graduate degrees, she plans to pursue a career in public international environmental law.

Elta Smith ’01, magna cum laude, graduated with a major in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Following graduation, she worked for a year on two projects: as a consultant on the recent POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) international treaty at the Center for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (CSTEP) at Columbia University and as a web-editorial intern at Environmental Defense, a non-profit in New York City. In the fall, she will begin work on her Ph.D. in Environmental Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Miriam Greenblatt Weidberg ’97, summa cum laude, graduated with a major in dance. A participant in the Double Degree Program, Miriam also earned a BA from the Jewish Theological Seminary. After graduating, she worked as Program Director for New York Young Judaea. Currently a third year rabbinical student at JTS, Miriam is enjoying a year of study in Israel. Returning to the States this summer, she looks forward to a year of student teaching and continued learning. Once a rabbi, Miriam hopes to work with students, teachers, and families in a Jewish day school setting.

Funding for the fellowship comes from two sources: the Alumnae Association of Barnard College and the Edith and Frances Mulhall Achilles Fund. The fellowship was established in 1982, and received additional funding from the Achilles Fund in the fall of 2000.

This year’s winners will be introduced at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon of the AABC at Reunion 2002 on Friday, May 31, at 12:30 in the LeFrak Gymnasium of Barnard Hall.

Contact: Roberta Albert, Office of Alumnae Affairs, 212-854-2005
Petra Tuomi, Office of Public Affairs, 212-854-7907
James Griffith, Office of Public Affairs, 212-854-7583