Student and Faculty Recognition Day (formerly Honors Day)

Considering Religious Studies, read about our majors.

Student and Faculty Recognition Day April 23 , 2009 5:30 PM Indiana Memorial Union University Club Faculty Room  

 Undergraduate Student Achievements

Some of our Undergraduate Student Achievements

Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776, at the College of William and Mary. Since then, Phi Beta Kappa has evolved to become the nation's leading advocate for the liberal arts and sciences education at the undergraduate level. Phi Beta Kappa elects over 15,000 new members a year from 262 chapters across the United States, and IU supports a strong chapter here on campus. The following students were inducted into PBK in the 2008 and 2009: Carolyn Homer, Tim Swanger, Cameron Bailey, Swathi Hemachandra, Nathaniela Orbach, and Alexander Sheppe.

Theta Alpha Kappa is the international academic honor society for religious studies and/or theology, founded in 1976. TAK produces a literary journal twice a year and encourages student submissions.  They also run an annual essay contest.  2008/2009 inductees into the Theta Alpha Kappa, Alpha Delta Eta Chapter at Indiana University, * denotes graduating May or August 2009 :

Jamie Gunn*,  Bryan Healy*,   Swathi Hemachandra*, Carolyn Homer* ,
Toby Lawhon*, Astara Light, Nicholas Marshall*,Nathaniela Orbach*,   imothy Swanger*,Rachel Watkins, Grace Wakim, Lauren Johnson*, Blake Vanderbosch*, Julie Singer, David Klein, Landon Peck, Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley, Joanna Lucas, Isabelle Kountz, Torrey Kittle*, Francis Hunt, Patrick Fritz, , Michael Ewing, Gina Eastwood, Sarah Carlton*, Daniel Burnham, Matthew Bortnick*, Anastasia Bennett, Cameron McMullin Bailey*.

Indiana University Ethics Bowl Team Wins National Competition

The Indiana University Ethics Bowl team won the Fifteenth Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Competition March 5, 2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The competition, which began in the fall with ten regional bowl competitions, culminated in competition among the 32 top teams on March 5. The Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl is one of the programs of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, which has sponsored Ethics Bowl since its inception in 1996.  The winners at the national competition in Cincinnati: Shana Bergen, Devin Carpenter (a junior majoring in Philosophy, Religious Studies and Political Science), Dylan Pittman, Neil Shah, Laura Goins, Rachel Morris, and Richard Miller (Director of the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions and a Professor of Religious Studies.)  Prof Miller is extremely proud of the team for their months of hard work and very impressive accomplishments. Congratulations to all!

Senior Honors Thesis: This year 9 students worked on senior thesis projects: Cameron Bailey, Matt Bortnick, Trevor Giddings, Bryan Healy, Lauren Johnson, Nick Marshall, Robert Schoon and Timothy Swanger are in the writing phase, and Landon Peck, Saralyn McKinnon Crowley and Aren Wilson-Wright are researching.

Robert Schoon received the Senior Honors Thesis Research Grant of $100 for his prospectus. 

The winners of the Gallagher Paper and Honors Thesis competition are………….

Our Undergraduates

Cameron McMullin Bailey is graduating May 2009 with majors in Religious Studies and English.  In 2009 he was named a Founders Scholar by IU Bloomington (in recognition of sustained academic excellence," for having a 3.8 or higher cumulative GPA.) He was also elected to Theta Alpha Kappa and elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  He is working with Prof. Richard Nance on completing an honors thesis. The title of his honors thesis is "Himalayan Mediums: The Shamanic Elements of Tibetan Buddhism."  He will be attending graduate school at Florida State University in the fall studying Tibetan and Himalayan Religious traditions.
Anastasia Bennett will graduate in 2010 with majors in Fine Arts History and Religious Studies. She traveled to Prague because she felt that the Czech Republic was a place that most people don't go to and also because she had already traveled around Western Europe and was interested in going to the central and eastern countries. She loved being there and highly recommends the program. She felt that the culture was different than that of Western Europe but not so far different that it created culture shock problems. She is taking arts administration classes basically because she wants a job in this area once she graduates. She is also interested in fund development. She sees fund development as a way to enter and participate in the world of the arts. Matthew Bortnick will graduate in August 2009 with majors in Jewish and Religious Studies. Mati was at the University of Jerusalem from summer 2007 through spring of 2008.  He is completing an honors thesis in Religious Studies with Prof. Magid. The title of his thesis is "When Your Wellsprings Spread Out: Technology and Science in the Thought of the Lubavitcher Rebbe"
Daniel Burnham has tried to make his studies as interdisciplinary as possible. He hopes to leave his undergraduate career as a skilled generalist rather than a narrow specialist; his reasoning for this is that since he does not have a clear idea of what profession or course of graduate study he might want to pursue in the future, why limit himself to a single academic department? These ideas are a part of what influenced him to create an Individualized Major  in History & Philosophy of Science, in order to provide a strong counterpoint to his Religious Studies degree and give himself a highly flexible curriculum that he could shape into something that fit his interests. He has have chosen to focus his studies in HPS on the less-developed field of East Asian science, particularly in classical China, since it relates closely to his studies in Daoism and early Chinese philosophy. His IMP in History & Philosophy of Science explores the origins and evolution of scientific thought with an emphasis on East Asia and early Daoist alchemy. He will be working with Prof. Stalnaker on an honors thesis next year. He wants to encourage students to travel overseas and to any country where you are an ethnic minority. He received a competitive Hutton Honors IEP Grant.  He went to South Asia. He will be going to South Korea with his SPEA V-450 class this summer. He plans on traveling after graduation. If there is one thing he’s picked up through his travels and studies, it is that to understand the United States and his identity there, he has to leave the U.S. behind. One might argue that his goals run parallel to T.S. Eliot’s famous lines:

“And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

Devin Carpenter is a junior majoring in Philosophy, Religious Studies and Political Science.”This year, (he is) most proud of (his) participation and success in Ethics Bowl. Ethics Bowl is a year-long commitment in which he and four other team members formulate ethical positions on "cases." For example, a case might concern the use of autonomous robots in war or the forced sterilization of a mentally handicapped individual. In the end, the IUB team won the National Championship.He will be the only returning team member next year (not due to merit he modestly adds; the others are either graduating or studying abroad.) He encourages other students to try out for the team next year. He also received the Masters-Burnett Honors Scholarship this year, and was a panelist in a discussion concerning religion and atheism put on by Collins Living Learning Center. Both the scholarship and panel discussion mentioned will occur next year as well, and he again encourages students in Religious Studies to apply or participate.
Hannah Cohen will graduate in 2011 with a major in Religious Studies and minor in Spanish. She spent spring break in Quito, Ecuador. She went as part of a medical brigade with the IU Timmy Foundation this past spring break. Hannah will spend next year at the University of Jerusalem.
Gina Eastwood is a sophomore here at I.U., with majors in Religious Studies, Anthropology and Individualized Major and a minor in African Studies and African languages. As an incoming freshman, she was interested in Religious Studies as it relates to history, but quickly became engrossed in the unique and stimulating discussions and courses in the Religious Studies department. Professor Lisa Sideris is sponsoring her development of an individualized major in Cultural Preservation and Education. She hopes to study what types of curriculum choices and learning methods are most appropriate and empowering for indigenous and endangered cultures. Because of her goal to pursue a doctoral degree and her strong volunteering background, she recently became a McNair Scholar, which will provide her the opportunity and support to work independently and with scholars on summer research projects. Her goal is to attend graduate school in a field such as Sociology of Education or Educational Policy so that she can work with people in developing supportive learning environments. The most helpful advice that she received at IU, and the most important advice that she can give to other students, is to study what you care about. She learned a lot about what she would like to study in college by going to some of the various talks and seminars on campus. They're almost never boring, contrary to popular undergraduate belief (and in the event you are bored, there is almost always free food.) Lastly, as a Bloomington native, she would encourage other students to occasionally leave campus entirely and to experience Bloomington on its own.
Patrick Fritz will graduate in May 2010 with majors in Religious Studies and German. Fritz spent last summer in Freiburg, Germany studying German. He is the current president of the Religious Studies Student Association. He plans on applying to law schools after graduation.
Danielle Gadbery will graduate next year with majors in Classical Studies- Art & Archaeology and Religious Studies. She chose classics because of an early influence from her Aunt and my Latin 101 (Ed Roe) teacher; religious studies because of her interest in world religions. Together the studies allow her to pursue an interest in early Christianity. Her plans after graduation are undetermined, but hopefully involve more cooking, photography, and art. Her advice to others, don't be afraid to branch out and don't be afraid to say, "This isn't for me" and try something new.
John Huff is a May 2009 graduate. His academic career within the Religious Studies Department at Indiana University has been many things, mostly good.   Discussions with students and professors, in and outside of class, have made him define his opinion or understanding on many religious topics. The classes and professors have equipped him with the tools to study religion objectively.  The knowledge and skills that he has developed within his time here at IU will be a part of the rest of his life not just as a minister but, more importantly, as a human being.  During his time at Indiana University he has been a member of the collegiate ministry of the Navigators, a member of the Marching Hundred, and Big Red Basketball Band.  Following graduation, he will be attending Methodist Theological School in Ohio this coming August working towards a Master of Divinity degree with the hope of being ordained as a minister of the United Methodist Church.
Chere’ Hunter is a junior with majors in Psychology and Religious Studies. She was recently accepted into the McNair Scholars program.
Michelle Hynes transferred as a sophomoreto IU this year from Loyola University Chicago feeling as if she were an incoming freshman. IU was a new and exciting place and she was hoping to find her niche. She has grown to love IUB.  She is pursuing a B.S. in biologyto prepare mefor Med School. While she loves science, she wantedto explore something outside of science and math. She thinks what drew her to RS most was the stark contradiction it has always held with the sciences. Since the conception of religious affiliations and scientific theories, there have always been groups fighting to prove one over theother. By studying both a science and religion she hopes to prove that these two studies don't have to be held on different ends of the spectrum; that she can learn and find truth in both. Her goal is to go to Medical School but a second option is to go to graduate school in RS. She enjoys her RS classes the most. As advice to others, she suggests not being afraid to major in more than one thing, and they don't necessarily have to be related subjects. It will only make you a better-rounded and educated person and it's not as difficult as one might think. Get involved in as much as possible. She attends as many guest talks as possible in both biology and religious studies just to hear the ideas and perspectives of others. Also, volunteer as much as possible. While she’s not directly connected to any IU groups, she has gone on several mission trips, one being to the Dominican Republic where she was fortunate enough to help children at an orphanage in a third world country. Opportunities like this are truly priceless and the experience you get from helping others like this cannot be matched.
Lauren Johnson is an August 2009 graduate with a Sociology and Religious Studies double major. Lauren is graduating with honors recognition from the Department of Religious Studies. Her honors thesis with Prof. Furey, entitled “Our Talk is Our Prayer: Family, Embodied Sacramentalism, and Feminist Liberation”, addresses the resources Christian sacramentalism provides for feminist theologians, serving as a cultural linguistic bridge between material and spiritual, local and universal. She plans to remain in the Bloomington area, working as a direct support professional with Stone Belt, a non-profit that provides care for individuals with developmental disabilities. Sarah-Beth Kirshner is a junior at IUB majoring in Jewish Studies, Sociology, and Religious Studies.  She came to IU already set on majoring in Jewish Studies, but after taking several classes in other fields she became interested in sociology and religion. She is currently studying abroad in Jerusalem Israel at Hebrew University for the spring 2009 semester.  After a short trip there in the summer of 2007, she knew I wanted to return for a longer period of time.  IU’s study abroad program helped her to choose Jerusalem because the classes offered here all surround her interest s and majors, so it was a perfect fit.   She is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, an active Hillel participant, and a member of the Jewish Studies Student Association. She would recommend to other students to experiment with new classes because it can spark an interest in a new field.      
Shruti Krishnan has been at IUB for two years but has senior status. She has a double major in Religious Studies and Arabic, but she's interested in just about everything. She recently received a highly competitive Critical Language Scholarship (sponsored by the State Department) to study Arabic in Morocco this summer, and is still recovering from the shock.
Toby Lawhon is an August 2009 graduate with majors in Religious Studies and Jewish Studies. He studied in Jerusalem from summer 2007 through spring 2008.  
Nicholas Marshall is graduating in May 2009. He was awarded the Inaugural Hoosier Presidential Scholar (2005), Palmer Brandon Award (2008), Pratt Traveling Fellow (2009) and Dean's List every year. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa (2008), Theta Alpha Kappa (2008), and Eta Sigma Phi (2009). Currently he is finishing up an honors thesis with Prof. Brakke in Religious Studies with the title: " More a Butcher than a Priest: The Pagan Critique of Julian the Apostate"In his essay, Nick attempts to show the pagan criticisms of Julian the Apostate by reconstructing and exploring plausible disagreements between the emperor and his fellow "Hellenists" in the spheres of philosophy, religion, and the liberal arts. After graduation this summer he plans on taking a three week trip to Greece to see the sites. Upon returning he will be the best man at his best friend’s wedding. He hopes to find and keep a basic job for a couple of years, polish his thesis, work on some personal projects and improve his modern and ancient languages. In the future, he expects to go to graduate school for Late Antiquity, Philosophy, or Comparative Religion (he still hasn't decided which, yet), obtain a professorship at a research university, obtain tenure, and write, read, and teach until he dies or is cryonically frozen.
Saralyn McKinnon-Crowley is a junior from Indianapolis, Indiana, and a major in Religious Studies and Linguistics with a minor in Communication and Culture and Biblical Hebrew.  Currently, she serves on the Executive Board of the Undergraduate Religious Studies Association (URSA).  As part of working on the URSA board, she has planned a trip to the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center and helped plan other events related to Religious Studies.  This is her second year as a Resident Assistant for Dewey House, the Religious, History, Ethics, and Philosophy Thematic Community, a community for people who genuinely enjoy and are interested in discussing and learning about issues related to the four themes.  She plans on going to graduate school to study church history, probably with a focus on saints.  To better equip her for this, she is working on a senior honors thesis with Professor Furey.  As of right now, her thesis topic is a comparison of three female married European fourteenth century saints.
Luke Meeker will graduate August 2009 with a major in Religious Studies. Luke transferred to IUB in his senior year. After graduating Luke plans to pursue music through composing, performing, and studying music on his own.  If he ever gets tired of only being able to afford peanut butter sandwiches then he might return to school to get a masters degree in music therapy, clinical psychology, or critical psychology.
Sharayn Menne’ academic journey at IU has just begun. After serving in the military for five years as an Intelligence Specialist in the USN, she went to school for a few years before moving to Bloomington, IN with her husband. While in the military she served with honors distinction and was awarded the Naval and Marine Achievement Medal for my service in Signals Intelligence while serving in Whidbey Island, WA. Her husband now works at Crane as an Engineer andher family life with their two young sons is now conducive for her to go back to school and start her PhD journey. She worked at the Kelley School of Business at IU for two years andran the distinguishedKSOB Dean's Council beforejoining the RS programSpring 09. She hopes to graduate in May with honors andthen go straight to graduate school. She is interested in Religion and Ethics, specifically religion and ethics in war.
Nathaniela Ruth Orbach is a May 2009 graduate. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa spring 2009 and the Theta Alpha Kappa, the religious studies national honorary society in 2008.  She traveled to Belize summer 2008 to participate in an archaeological dig with a scholarship won from the Hutton Honors College International Experiences Program. She studied fall 2007 and spring 2008 at Hebrew University in Israel. She will take a year off before entering graduate school for Near Eastern Archaeology.
Landon Peck has always had an inclination for the sciences (especially) biology and chose to pursue the pre-medical route. He was informed at orientation that one could go to medical school with an unrelated major. Almost on a whim, he chose religious studies. He did not know much about it, but at the time was getting into philosophy and bigger-picture ideas.He thought it to be a great tie-in to the world of ideas and the world of people (much like medicine). Since then he has taken all the pre-medical courses at IU which have nearly completed his minors in biology and chemistry. He has also picked-up a music minor. As an amateur musician and composer, he was very excited that he could work with Jordan School of Music personnel and obtain more knowledge of music. Getting grades by participating in the construction and critique of music is almost too good to be true. He feels that some courses, namely listening/appreciation courses, allow one to extract an enormous amount of knowledge about music and life lessons. With music, more than any other discipline, one gets out of it what one puts into it. His recommendation for others would be to find classes about which you are passionate, and through them, fully pour your heart into its mold and see how it shapes you. He has taken more from a rock and roll class than many other classes. Last year (2008) he volunteered at Bloomington Hospital in the emergency department, was on the Dean's List, and started making music with the recording arts program. He has also obtained an undergraduate position in a biochemistry/genetics laboratory on campus. This summer he will be conducting research on histone mutations in arabidopsis plants. Continuing with his education in biology, this fall he will be an assistant (UTI) for L211, molecular biology. With a breadth of study encompassing four different areas (Religion, Music, Biology, and Chemistry) he feels like he is getting an ideal undergraduate experience. At the same time, he has left many doors open. After graduation in May of 2010,he is less certain of attending medical school in the following fall. It certainly remains a possibility, but at this time he would like to explore other possibilities to see if they lead 'somewhere' before making the huge decision of medical school.
Stephen Randall Quay will graduate in May 2010 with majors in German and Religious Studies. He is currently in Freiburg, Germany.
Dana Leigh Roberts decided to be a Religious Studies major simply because she felt that religion is the most intimate way to learn about a person's beliefs, lifestyle, and larger community. She has always been interested in what other people believe and am endlessly challenging her own beliefs. Her NELC minor was a fluke. She wanted to learn a language completely foreign to her that was deeply integrated in a religious setting. So she decided on Arabic and ran with it. Her Sociology minor also happened without much planning. She took a few classes and found she was one class away from a minor, so why not? Currently her summer plans include volunteering at Catholic Charities, continuing to work at Meadowood Retirement Community, and taking the GRE to further prepare to apply to a graduate program here at IU, probably in the school of education.
Laura Robinson is a junior with an English and Religious Studies majors. She's particularly interested in the study of Christianity and creative writing. She is a Cox Research Scholar and enjoys organizing events and getting to know other students in the program, and also co-leads a Bible study in her dorm. She is planning on pursuing her PhD in religious studies and wants to be a professor.
Stephen Sajkich is a sophomore. Stephen believes that IU has offered him much in the past two years! His time so far at IU has been filled with interesting and fun classes, and many student activities. When he came to IU as a freshman, he wanted to be a business major, but decided business was not for him, and he changed his major to History. So far majoring in history has been a great decision. All of his history classes have been fantastic, especially Professor Bodnar’s Elvis, Dylan and Post-War America class. Not too long after majoring in history, he took Professor Furey’s Intro to Christianity class and next thing he knew he was sitting in MaryLou’s (RS advisor) office adding Religious Studies as another major.
Not only does he love both of his majors, but he also loves being involved with the Office of Admissions. Currently, he is the Student Director of the IU Chat Team* and also a member of the Presentation Team and Multicultural Outreach Recruitment Educators (M.O.R.E). He absolutely loves sharing his passion of IU with other prospective students and defiantly enjoys helping the Admissions Office.
After graduation he wants to start a career in some aspect of higher education, particularly in admissions. If he could work for the Office of Admissions at IU, that would be great, but if not he will defiantly continue on to graduate school in the Higher Education Program.
This summer he will be switching from working with perspective students to working with newly admitted students as an Orientation Leader for summer orientation. He is really excited and looking forward to the summer. As this year comes close to an end, he would recommend to other students that one should take in all that IU has to offer. Take a class that sounds interesting, join a club, and most importantly, enjoy your years at IU. * Chat is a great online service which is collaboration with admissions staff and current students. Participants will answer prospective student questions about IU. The goal is to help students considering attending IU to get a feel for the academic, cultural, and social atmosphere of life on campus. This is also a great way to meet other students like them and make a connection!
http://www.indiana.edu/~iuadmit/freshmen/
Robert Schoon is a May 2009 graduate with a double major in Religious Studies and Philosophy and minor in Sociology.  He is finishing an honors thesis with Prof. Sideris with the title, “The New Evolution of God:  Prospects for Theistic Evolution.” He is proud that last year he was part of SPEA's Washington Leadership Program, followed by a semester in Denmark studying Kierkegaard at the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Theology. He plans on a so called "gap year" in Bloomington followed by grad school - either journalism or public policy. 
Julie Singer is a junior double majoring in Religious Studies and Sociology. In the upcoming semester she will take a graduate level sociological theory course as well as the first half of her sociology honors thesis. She plans to enroll in graduate school for sociology upon completion of her undergraduate degree. As a freshman she served on the Judicial Board for the Collins Living Learning Center and performed in the 2007 production of the Vagina Monologues. She has been actively involved in Union Board and currently serves as the 2009 Performance and Comedy Director. She is a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Student Advisory Board and has, and will continue to, serve into the following year on IUSA Congress.
Katherine Stein, most call her Rainbow. She will graduate with a major in the Individualized Major Program, Religious Studies as well as Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. Her individualized major focuses on the relationship between religion, politics and civil society. It’s a more detailed look into the influence of as well as those that help to shape religion in society. Her case-study for the major was Turkey, so she spent a year and then returned to Turkey for three months to study as well as conduct research. She is currently looking for work and/or internship program with the Foreign Service.
Nathen Steininger is a junior. He is a triple major in majors, Religious studies, Sociology, and East Asian Lang & Cult BA with a track in Chinese. He is an un-enrolled Ojibwa (which means he is not federally recognized yet.) He was nominated for the Commission on Multicultural Understanding (COMU) student leadership award last school year. He is the president of the Native American Student Organization. He and his student group are working on using the distance education technology at the school of education to reach out to different reservation schools to encourage Native American students to enroll in college. He was recently accepted into the McNair's Scholar's program and will be working on a research project this summer looking into Native American spiritual traditions as they are practiced (or not practiced) by Native people who do not live in a large community of native people. His mentor for this project is Prof. John Johnson from the Folklore department who is also a member of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma.  Additionally he will research indigenous traditions around the world, particularly in China and Mongolia, and compare their religious traditions to the traditions he was raised with and other Native American Traditions. (Indigenous is defined as people native to land but not necessarily in power over the land). Nathen is very excited about the upcoming year! 
Brienne Strohl will graduate in 2011. She lived, worked, and practiced at a residential temple in North Carolina for a summer. She wrote a paper examining Dogen's philosophy of Buddha-nature in Soto Zen and contrasting it with the older Indian doctrine of Buddha-nature called tathagatagarbha. (The paper is called "Bussho: An Analysis of Buddha-Nature in Dogen’s Shobogenzo Contrasted With Tathagatagarba In The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra"). She is presently working on a paper called "The Long Haired Buddha: Finding Hope for Lay Practice in Dogen's Zen.” In the future she hopes to study more closely with Shohaku Okamura, founder of Sanshinji (the Zen temple on Olive Street) and world renowned Dogen scholar. She also intends to continue with Buddhist studies in graduate school.
Tim Swanger will be graduating in May 2009 with a double major in Religious Studies and Chinese. He spent the spring and summer of 2008 studying at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He is working with Prof. Stalnaker on an honors thesis. His honors thesis is called “History and Power in Han China.” It traces the political and religious uses of history in China from the Zhou period through the Warring States and the Han. He has been accepted to ASU's PhD program in Religious Studies, and offered a package of $19,000 for four years.
Blake Alan Vanderbosch is an August 2009 graduate. He has been elected to the national religious studies honors program, Theta Alpha Kappa. He is a member of the Navigators, a Christian organization that meets on campus every Friday evening.  He also participates in a weekly Bible study.  He has been accepted into the fall 2009 IUPUI Public Health Graduate program.
Grace Wakim will graduate in May 2010 with majors in Psychology and Religious Studies. She has always sought out engagement while at IUB. She participated as a freshman in the homeless and hunger campaign with INPIRG, and then at the end of my sophomore year because of her outstanding academic performance in a sociology class, she was offered a competitive internship in Sociology. This internship led to an offer to continue working with  the Sociology professor’s independent research. She may have the opportunity to co-author a publication. She is excited to have this opportunity.  This past year three semesters she has been a research assistant in a psychology human development lab (she has not enjoyed the experience but that's what psych majors who plan to go to grad school have to do).  This experience has confirmed in her mind that clinical psychology not research is the path she must take. While completing the research lab assistantship, she applied and received a $1000 Hutton Undergraduate Honors Research Grant. She is very excited about her next internship as she will be in a clinical psy environment. She will be at a long-term residential treatment facility for disturbed adolescents.  She will be leaving right after finals and spending the entire summer in New Mexico as a direct staff member, living on the same property with these adolescents and conducting group therapy sessions as well as sitting in on some of the private therapy sessions the adolescents have with their case psychologist.  While there, she plans to conduct independent research on the Positive Peer Culture therapy model (a model this facility is built around and adheres very strictly to) and possibly turn it into a senior thesis. In the fall, she will be taking the GRE and begin the application process for PsyD schools graduate school. If  all goes according to plan, she'll be graduating May 2010 and off to four or five more years of school, after which time she will most likely end up in a partnership of psychologists, which will eventually lead to her own private practice (this is the ultimate goal, and at this point in my life seems very plausible). Although psychology was the major she declared as a freshman she has always found her religious studies courses to be far more interesting.  Her older sister (who had graduated from IU) told her about Prof.  Harrill, whom she described as, "The most knowledgeable and interesting professor I've ever had.  You absolutely HAVE to take at least one of his classes when you get to IU."  So with no intention of adding another major, she did as suggested and picked up her first class with Harrill and a few weeks into the course she was in love with religious studies and declared it as a second major.  Besides being her most interesting courses, what she has learned in religious studies beautifully compliments human psychology, and even though she doesn’t plan to continue religious studies into grad school, she believes the knowledge she has gained from the major will be invaluable to her profession in the future. Her main piece of advice for undergrads is to not be terrified by the overwhelming amount of information that will be thrown at you. Stay true to yourself, know what you like and can live with. So the bottom line is this: Do your best, know your limits, and get the best grades you can get. Everything eventually comes together. She wishes someone had told her that her freshman year. Also, students should do what they love; not what they think will bring them the most prestige or money. You will be much happier doing what you love.
Sarah Wilensky is a junior. She has been active in STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, and has served as co-chair of Keshet, a student group run through Hillel for GLBT and Ally Jews. In addition, this year she has served on the executive board of Jewish Studies Student Association, and up until last fall, held a leadership role as a dorm captain in Students for Barack Obama. She chose IU in part because of the amazing Jewish Studies Program and she jumped around quite a bit before settling on Religious Studies as a complementary major.  RS has been a perfect fit. Her REL classes have been some of her most challenging and intellectually exciting, and even requirements which originally struck her as outside her comfort zone have allowed her to take classes that she can cite among her favorites. Next year she will study abroad, in Jerusalem in the fall, and either remain in Israel or head to Rome for the spring semester. Her plans for after graduation are hazy at best, but will include some sort of continued education (phd? law school?) and hopefully another significant experience abroad.
Aren Wilson-Wright will graduate 2010. He is a triple major in Mathematics and Jewish Studies. He is one of two students who were awarded the Palmer Brandon Award 2009.  The Palmer Brandon Scholarship has an extensive application process and is the most selective prize in the College. Two outstanding current third-year juniors are selected each year; each 2009 winner will receive $20,000. The award is intended to support the winners’ continued, academic, scholarly and creative pursuits. Those selected to receive the prestigious prize are expected to be in the top one percent of the undergraduates in their fields, in terms of academic achievement and potential. Aren will use part of the award to study this summer in Jerusalem. He received the Borns Jewish Studies Program 2008 Henry A. Bern Memorial Essay Competition Prize. He received 2nd place, Gallagher Essay Contest in Religious Studies for “1 Kings12: A Satire on the Exodus” 2008. He was awarded Jewish Studies Conference Fund to attend Student Religious Studies Conference which the Midwest Regional Society of Biblical Literature hosted on February 13, 2009. He has been actively involved in the Undergraduate Religious Studies. He presented the paper above He has been very active in the Undergraduate Religious Studies Association Board of Directors and has arranged events; act as a departmental liaison. Currently he is working on a Religious Studies honors thesis with the working title “The Art of Ugaritic Epic” with Professors Steven Weitzman and Chaya Halberstam.

Religious Studies Sophomores and Freshman

Stephanie Beidelman, Rachel Peterson, Lynette  Anigbo, Christine Bowers, Aaron Ethridge,  Bridget Flynn, Jonathan Gerdes, Ryan Gould, Shin Sung Han,                         William Hartman, Joseph Horan, Benjamin Linder, Andrew Neel, Christian Palmer,
Clare Rosenbalm, Joshua Salyer, Erin Seri, Brienne Strohl, Joseph Vanore