Seven Recent Holy Cross Grads Earn Fulbright Grants to Work and Study all Over the World

WORCESTER, Mass. – Seven members of the College of the Holy Cross class of 2008 have been awarded Fulbright grants. They include Justin Brooks of Enfield, Conn; Alison Casserly of Pepperell, Mass.; James Corbett of Winchester, Mass; Robert Dudley of Canton, Mass; Thomas Gaffney of Yonkers, N.Y.; Anne Schroeder of Spokane, Wash.; and Catherine Turner of Pleasantville, N.Y.

Justin Brooks: A history major, who hails from Enfield, Conn., Brooks will be living and conducting research on young Australian aboriginal peoples living in urban centers in Melbourne, Australia. He will be looking at the ways in which indigenous Australian youth express themselves through aspects of African American and Afro-Caribbean culture, such as music, movies, and art. He also hopes to initiate or work for a social justice program in the city of Melbourne.

An active member of the Holy Cross community, Brooks served as chief of staff of the executive cabinet in the Student Government Association; co-chair of the History Student Advisory Committee; a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, which honors exceptional students of Jesuit institutions who distinguish themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service;  a member of Phi Alpha Theta, national honor society in history; and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and the most prestigious national academic honor society in America.. He has volunteered as a big brother at the Boys and Girls Club in Worcester and served as an orientation leader and student coordinator at the Gateways Orientation Program.

When he returns to the U.S. he hopes to publish his research and enroll in a Ph.D. program in Native American history.

Alison Casserly: A native of Pepperell, Mass., Casserly will be conducting research and living in Zurich, Switzerland. A biology major and biochemistry concentration and in the premedical program at the College, Casserly will be studying under Steven Brown, Ph.D., at the University of Zurich, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, in Zurich, Switzerland.

Casserly and Brown developed a project that will investigate the expression of circadian or rhythm genes in human cells of depressed and non-depressed individuals to determine if there is any difference between the groups. Alteration of these gene expressions has been shown to result in sleep disorders, and these abnormalities have been genetically linked to various mental disorders, including depression.

On campus, she was a member of the American Medical Student Association, where she served as the publicity coordinator and the historian; and was involved in Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), a student-run community service organization.

When she returns to the U.S. she plans on applying to medical school.

James Corbett: Corbett, a sociology major and German minor from Winchester, Mass., will be a teaching assistant at a German high school where he will teach English and American studies. A huge sports fan, he also plans to involve his students in an after school program that will teach them about American sports, including football and baseball. As much as he hopes to teach his students about American culture, he hopes to learn from them as well.

On campus, Corbett participated in intramural sports, SPUD, and was a tutor for elementary school children at the Great Brook Valley Center in Worcester, Mass.

When Corbett returns to the U.S. he plans to live in the Boston area.

Robert Dudley: Dudley, a classics major and German minor from Canton, Mass., will assist in teaching English as a second language while immersing himself in the German culture.

On campus, Dudley was involved in ballroom dancing; SPUD; and was one of the chief student editors for The Purple, a literary magazine. Dudley is no stranger to Europe; he spent his junior year at Mansfield College in Oxford, where he was awarded The Mansfield Visiting Student Prize for Trinity Term 2007 from Mansfield College, Oxford.  The award is given to those whose academic performance over the course of the term has been considered to be outstanding.

Last year Dudley was one of only 20 college students nationwide selected to receive a 2007 Beinecke scholarship. Each scholar receives $4,000 after graduating from college and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school.

Dudley has received a full fellowship to study for his Ph.D. in Classics at Duke University when he returns to the U.S., where he is interested in studying epic and archaic Greek poetry.

Thomas Gaffney: A political science major from Yonkers, N.Y., Gaffney will be doing research in Macau, a tiny autonomous region of China.

“Macau recently surpassed Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world,” explains Gaffney.

Gaffney, whose grant will last for 10 months, says he will be researching the government regulation of the casino industry to see whether it's controlled more by the Communist party in Beijing or Macanese government.

“It's a study in how capitalism is changing Chinese communist ideology,” he says.

Gaffney’s research grant starts in September, but he plans to head to China in August to volunteer at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. No stranger to China, Gaffney studied abroad in Beijing his junior year, learning Mandarin Chinese. This year he plans to learn a new dialect. On campus, he worked in the Dinand Library and was a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society.

When he returns to the U.S. he hopes to work in international business and investment or for the government.

Anne Schroeder: Schroeder, an anthropology major from Spokane, Wash., will teach at a Korean secondary school next year where she will aid Korean teachers and help with conversational English. She will also be living with a host family.

She studied abroad at the National University of Galway last year. On campus she was involved with SPUD, through which she tutored and worked at a homeless shelter for women.

When she returns to the U.S., she plans to attend law school to focus on international business.

Catherine Turner: Turner, an anthropology major with an Asian studies concentration from Pleasantville, N.Y., will be teaching English in Yilan County, Taiwan. In addition, Turner hopes to improve her Chinese skills.  She has been taking classes since her sophomore year and studied abroad in Beijing her junior year. On campus, Turner was a member of the Relationship Peer Educators (RPEs), a group of students who have been trained to provide preventive and developmental education to the Holy Cross community on issues of sexual assault, violence, harassment, and the promotion of healthy relationships. She was also involved with SPUD. When she returns to the U.S., Turner hopes to work for an international non-profit company as well as further her exploration of Asia. About the Fulbright Grant:

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 250,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.