William Jewell College Names 2012 Hall Summer Enrichment Grant Recipients

[William Jewell College]

Each year, students of William Jewell College vie to be a part of the Hall Family Foundation Summer Enrichment Program. Applications for a Hall Grant are given to a committee of faculty members for evaluation and recipients can receive up to $5,000 toward their projects, according to Dr. Ron Witzke, a member of the committee. This year, four students have been selected to receive Hall Grants: Alex Bush, first-year; Haley Hibbeler, junior; Eric Lewis and Edward Scott, Jr., sophomores. Witzke said that the committee received 15 to 20 applications this year. The committee was looking for applicants to adhere to the application process as well as demonstrate the creativity of their proposed experience. “[The selected applications] hit all of the benchmarks of what the application calls for,” Witzke said.

“And, we want it to be special. The student is burdened with showing us that their project is exceptional.”

Bush said he will use the funds to participate in a six-week program in Cape Town, South Africa. While in South Africa, Bush will enroll at a university in Cape Town. Bush said that both the program and the Hall Grant piqued his interest because of his future career aspirations. “I want to go into medicine, and I’m interested in international medicine, and that’s why I am interested in the program,” Bush said. “The Hall Grant seemed like a great way to make it happen and make it financially feasible for me.”

Besides the ties to his career goals, Bush said that “the diversity” of healthcare in the area is what drew him to the particular program. “Cape Town is really developed, but only a short drive away do you have clinics that are like what [some envision] when we think about healthcare in Africa,” Bush said.

While in Cape Town, Bush will visit an AIDS clinic, the city’s department of health and do a home stay with a South African family for one week. Bush’s program will be from June 15-July 29.

Hibbeler, like Bush, will use her Hall Grant to travel internationally. Hibbeler, who has never been on a plane before, will go to Weggis, Switzerland to take part in Sir James Galway’s master class for flutists. According to Hibbeler, she has been studying the flute for over 15 years. She hopes that attending the master class will aid her career goal of playing the flute on a professional level. “There’s going to be a lot of world renowned flute players there that I will be able to mingle with,” Hibbeler said. “Also, it is good to have a really educated critique of what I’m doing.”

Hibbeler made a connection with the Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway when they performed for the Harriman-Jewell Series. According to Hibbeler, Lady Jeanne Galway wrote her a letter of recommendation for the program. “[Sir James Galway] performed at the [Harriman-Jewell] Series, and I was one of the three [flutists] chosen from the area to play in his master class here,” Hibbeler said. “I still have to audition to play for him. He chooses seven [musicians] and a lot of times if you don’t get chosen to play for him, you will get chosen to play for Lady Jeanne.”

The Galway master class will be held from July 20-28.

Lewis will be traveling to Mississippi to attend the  Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference.  Participants in the event celebrate, explore and discuss the works of author William Faulkner. “The conference is an annual event and is a gathering of the top Faulkner scholars,” Lewis said. “This year’s theme is ‘50 Years After Faulkner’ meaning the conference will work on the changes in perceptions of Faulkner and his work in the 50 years after his death.”

The conference will run July 7-11, and will be held at the University of Mississippi campus. According to Lewis, the event’s backdrop holds significance to its subject matter. “The conference takes place on the campus of Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., Faulkner’s home town and the model of Jefferson, Mississippi—the setting of much of his work,” Lewis said.

According to Lewis, this conference will be a continuation of his study of Faulkner, as he researched the author with the Oxbridge Summer Research Grant he received last year. Scott is bound for the south, as well, as he plans to take part in Florida International University’s Summer Treatment Program, which is designed to provide psychology majors with experience in the field. “[STP] is a 10-week intensive program where I will be placed as a counselor for youth diagnosed with different behavioral disorders,” Scott said.

“STP is a rare opportunity for psychology majors. It is not that often an undergraduate student gets to interact with mental health clients on a clinical level.”

According to Scott, some of the behavioral disorders he will see will include Conduct Disorder, ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Scott—who plans on becoming a school psychologist— will receive practical experience from Florida International University’s program. “As a participant in the program, I will learn about family intervention plans and how to write them. I will learn symptoms and treatment plans for the disorders,” Scott said.

As admission into STP is competitive— Scott indicated that he should hear from the University in two to three weeks—he also applied to a program at Northwestern University in Chicago According to Scott, the programs are similar, but Northwestern’s areas of interest are mental health issues like anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. According to Witzke, each Hall Grant recipient is required to prepare a written report detailing his or her experience, as well as make a presentation to the William Jewell community.

By Cassie Dinges

Features/Human Interests Editor

The Hilltop Monitor