PolSci Student Wins Human Rights Award
This past summer Evan Brassard ’10 (political science) participated in an internship at Rehabilitative Resources Inc. (RRI), a nonprofit agency in Sturbridge, Mass. RRI specializes in providing services and support to the developmentally disabled. Brassard’s work focused on the agency’s human rights training manuals, the implementation of a teaching aid to help site supervisors relay human rights lessons to individuals served by the programs, and writing a guide to aid in understanding of the state regulations. To say he did a good job would be an understatement. His work earned him the agency’s Human Rights Award, presented in October at their annual recognition event. Read more...

Budding Archaeologist Sees a Future of Digs
This past summer Jessica Aither ’11 (anthropology) participated in the Archaeology Field School in Italy, thanks in part to the Ansin Study Abroad Fellowship. “I was able to spend a full six weeks in the country, both on the dig site of an Etruscan necropolis and traveling Italy,” Aither says. “The entire experience was completely unparalleled by any other I’ve had thus far.” Read more...

A Commitment to Journalism
Let there be no doubt: William McGuinness ’10 (journalism), editor-in-chief of the Daily Collegian, is serious about journalism. “I’ve started my future,” he says. “It’s a simple plan: find something you love and do it as long as you can. Obviously, I’d like to find a place where people will intensively read what I write—an audience that cares. I guess I’ve been something of a journalism Calvinist: work hard, work towards perfection, and see what happens.” Read more...

Young Entrepreneur Connects Leaders with Constituents
How many undergraduates can list CEO and founder of a business on their resume? Meet Conor White-Sullivan ’10 (anthropology) who has led the development of business structure and long-term strategy for Localocracy.org, an online platform that uses voting, ranking and tagging to determine what registered voters believe are their community's most pressing problems and the most efficient means of solving them. Read more...

Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award Goes to UMass Student
UMass field hockey player Amy Novak '10 (political science, English) was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award at the N4A Convention in Miami. Intended to honor an individual that has overcome great personal, academic, and emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics, Novak is one of six recipients this year chosen from 36 entrants nationwide. Along with a Novak’s acceptance speech, a video was shown that chronicled the challenges she overcame. Read more and watch a video...