New Student Members – 2011
The following students were inducted as new members of The College Key during Commencement Weekend.
Hannah Arenstam, Class of 2011, from Plymouth Mass, is an honors anthropology major who recently presented at the Mount David Summit her research on “Representations of Australian National Identity in the Immigration of Museum of Victoria” following her semester abroad in Melbourne. Hannah served as a BatesStar Class Host for the 50th Reunion for her grandfather’s class in 2009. She is the Ally coordinator for OUTFront, works as a Peer Writing Assistant, and was the recipient of a Community Work-Study Award last summer for her work at Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Portland, Maine.
Afroz Baig, from Petaluma, CA, is a Women and Gender Studies and Politics double major who presented at the 2011 Mount David Summit on “The Zina Ordinances and Women’s Citizenship in Pakistan.” She is a member of the Bates Democrats, and served for two years on the Maine College Democrats executive board as Development Director. Afroz is the Managing Forum Editor of the Bates Student. She is Co-President and Co-Founder of the Knit Wits Club and has been active with the Women’s Resource Center. She is also one of the founding members of Bates Coalition Against Discrimination (BCAD).
Clyde Bango, from Harare, Zimbabwe, is a Biochemistry and Visual Art Double Major and a Mathematics Minor. He presented his year-long visual art thesis at the 2011 Senior Exhibition- where he made intricate wire sculptures inspired by childhood memories and traditional villages in Zimbabwe. He presented his biochemistry senior thesis last Fall on the structure of HIV protease and associated mutations that lead to AIDS drug resistance. In addition, he studied basic liver histology of mice exposed to arsenic in early development during the summer of 2010, presented original artwork in 2008 and 2010 for the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. As a 2008 Phillips Student Fellow, Clyde presented original artwork developed in residency at the Spelman College Summer Art Colony in Portobelo, Panama. He was a PALG Leader for Biology 101 and 242, a Peer Writing Assistant, the League Coordinator for Co-ed IM Soccer this year, and is a Dana Scholar.
Jose Cervantes from Ontario, CA, is a Politics Major with an Economics Minor. Jose is a member of the International Club, which focuses on awareness of cultures from across the world, helping with the popular International Dinner and some of the Club’s performances. He has been a Hughes Summer Scholar in 2007. Jose did a Fall Semester Abroad in 2008 in Germany. Jose served Latinos Unidos as their Co-President at a time when the Club was revamped, increasing membership and launching the Club’s now annual event Sabado Gigante, as well as the Club’s camping trip to Acadia. He was a Junior Advisor in Parker, and traveled as a student ambassador on the Offices of Intercultural Education and Advancement sponsored trip to Atlanta. He has also served Bates on the Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, and as an Admission volunteer.
Flora Chan, from Wellesley, MA, is an Economics Major. Her thesis topic was Fluctuation of the Iraqi Dinar through Wartime (2001-2010). Flora loved being a Junior Advisor in both Clason House as a Sophomore and in 280 College as a Junior, and then also enjoyed being a Residence Coordinator Team Leader of seven JAs in Parker Hall. She has been the student project coordinator at the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, a peer writing assistant for 3 years, a member of the Bates Investment Club and Photography Club, the Film Board President, Treasurer and Publicity Director of Sangai Asia, as well as a member of the Senior Gift Committee, and this weekend’s Baccalaureate Committee, for which she has worked on the Student Litany.
Meg Curran of Falmouth, ME, was a Mathematics Major and presented at the Mount David Summit on “Two-Sided Stable Matchings: Applications to the National Resident Matching Program?” Meg was the Chief of Service for Bates Emergency Medical Services for two years and secretary for a semester during sophomore year. She was a Junior Adviser in Smith Hall her sophomore year and Residence Coordinator in Adams Hall during her junior year. Her senior year she was Resident Coordinator Team Leader for Rand Hall and Milliken House and also served on the hiring committees for next year’s staff. She was an Admission tour guide, special event coordinator, and then senior fellow, and has been a Math tutor and a Chemistry tutor. Meg will be attending Tufts University School of Medicine next fall.
Abritee Dhal from Westford, MA, is a Biological Chemistry Major, with American History and Dance Minors. She presented at this year’s Mount David Summit on the “Mutagenesis of
RSK2 to Locate Nuclear Localization Sequence of RSK2.” Trained at a young age in
Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance), Abritee learned modern dance and other Western Dance at Bates with the Modern Dance Company, performing in every spring dance concert. She choreographed a piece for last year’s show Untangled. Abritee is the Co-President of Salaam Namaste and has organized Diwali and Holi, Hindu Festivals at Bates, choreographed and danced for the annual Bollywood Finale piece, and taught over 30 Batesies a Bollywood dance routine every year. She is going to Wake Forest University this Fall for a PhD in Molecular Medicine and Translational Science.
Megan Guynes is a Theater Major and Sociology Minor from Upland, CA. A member of Amandla! and President of the Gospel Choir, she performed “A Change is Gonna Come” as part of Bates’ Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service of Worship in 2011, also participating in past years’ MLK Day services on campus. Megan ran track for Bates, is a member of the International Club, the Modern Dance Club, the Modern Dance Company, and Robinson Players, playing last spring in “The Dragon’s Daughter”.
Jessica Igoe, from Lexington, MA, is an Economics Major. She wrote her thesis on “Valuing the Economic Impact of Tourism: Evidence from the Great Barrier Reef.” She has been co-captain of the women’s basketball team, where she says her relationships with her team and coaches have been the most meaningful part of her experience. Jessica had an education minor, and was the Student Volunteer Fellow running the Hillview Afterschool Program, and volunteering at Hillview apartments for four years, tutoring and playing with the youth. She was honored last month at the State House with the Heart and Soul Award by the Maine Campus Compact. In addition, Jessica has been a Field Day coordinator for the past 3 years for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, combining two of the most meaningful parts of my Bates experience: athletics and community service – one of her favorite memories.
[In Absentia] – Jared Jammal, from Concord, MA, is a Rhetoric Major and wrote his thesis on Michael Vick and the way in which the narrative of his atonement was formulated in public discourse and the rhetorical action taken by Vick in order to expedite his atonement reaching process. Jared played running back and on Special Teams for the Bates Football Team as well as IM Basketball. During his senior year, he has led the class to a successful senior gift with co-chair of the Senior Gift Committee Molly Nelson. In addition to this service to Bates, Jared volunteered at the Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn, Maine during his junior year, and says he found his time volunteering there was extremely informative and rewarding. Next year, Jared will work for Admiral’s Bank in Boston.
Joanna Mangar from Kingston, Jamaica, is a Biological Chemistry Major who has worked under an INBRE Student-Faculty Grant for Summer Research as well as a Hughes Student-Faculty Research Grant for Summer Research, and this winter presented at the Mount David Summit about her research on “The Radical Scavenging Activity of Phenylethanoid and Phenylpropanoid Glycosides.” A Dana Scholar, Joanna was also awarded the Benjamin E. Mays Award and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Joanna was active in Bates Buddies for Needy Children, served as President and Treasurer of the Bates Christian Fellowship, was a member of the International Club, and served Bates on the Senior Gift Committee, as a Junior Adviser in Rand Hall, and as an Admission Tour Guide.
Nancy Munoz, from Los Angeles, CA, is a Psychology Major with an Education Studies Minor. Nancy presented her research on An Integration Program for Bates College: Intergroup Contact or Race Conversations? at the 2011 Mount David Summit, the Education Symposium, and the 2011 Presidential Symposium. Nancy is a member of the Education Club Leadership Team and was instrumental in bringing Alfie Kohn to campus as the guest speaker for the Education Symposium. She started an after school program entitled “Breaking Bread” to promote cross racial friendships between White and Somali students at Lewiston Middle School, and was an OIE, or Office of Intercultural Education, Ambassador to Atlanta this winter.
Molly Nelson from Albuquerque, NM is a Spanish and Philosophy Major, whose two theses were: “Born Good, Born Bad: Mexican Folklore in Chicana Art and Literature through a Postcolonial Lens” and “Little Wings: Political Liberalism and Fighting for Women’s Rights to Education and Healthcare in Tibet.” Molly was also an officer of the Brooks Quimby Debate Society, a Co-Chair of the Senior Gift Committee, coordinated the 2008 High School Tournament on the Bates College Campus, ran Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and was a three-time NESCAC All-Academic Athlete, a Varsity Letter Winner in all 3 sports, and ran Steeplechase. She has also served on the Residential Life Staff, was a tour guide and studied abroad in Buenos Aires.
Erica Louise Ong, from Thailand, is a Politics Major who wrote her thesis on “Taking Sides: Military Bias and the Thai Polity.” Erica has Minors in Economics and Russian. She was the Secretary of the International Club and the Women’s Resource Center, Residential Coordinator of Parsons House and Turner House, and the Student Representative for the faculty Committee on Committees and in the Student Government. Erica participated in the AmeriCorps Education Award Program. She received a Hoffman Research Grant for Islamic and Hinduism studies, and is a writer for the Bates Student and Seed Magazine.
Sebastian Pedraza from Rego Park, NY is a Biochemistry major who presented at this year’s Mount David Summit on his research about “Determining 5’ Ends in RNA Transcripts in Diverse Bacteria: Borrelia burgdorferi and Marine Synechoccocus CC9311.” Sebastian was a 4-Year Varsity Football player who also was awarded a Ladd internship to study in Washington, D.C. at B.I.O. – the Biotechnology Industry Organization as part of the Industrial and Environmental Group focusing on Algae. Sebastian was also the recipient of a Hughes Summer Student Research Grant in 2009 with which he studied Porphyromonas gingivalis on infected and non infected Mice under Professor of Biology Pam Baker.
Carolyn Silva-Sanchez, from Lexington, MA, is a Politics Major who presented at this year’s Mount David Summit about her research on “Leaving Parents Behind: An Analysis of No Child Left Behind and its Impact on Somali Parents in Lewiston, ME.” She is also an Educational Studies Minor who has done many field placements in area schools. Carolyn is a member of the Bates Democrats and Latinos Unidos. She studied abroad in Mexico and displayed photography in the 2010 Mount David Summit’s Barlow Off-Campus Study Photography Exhibition. She dances with the Ballroom Dance Society and has served Bates as a Junior Adviser and this year as a Residence Coordinator for Whittier, Frye and Nash Houses. She organized a community-wide “Reuse, Rebuild, Reward!” competition to encourage campus recycling over Parents and Family Weekend 2008.
Shirley Serrao, of Saudi Arabia and India, is an Economics Major. Her thesis was titled, “More Crop Per Drop – An Evaluation of the Sujala Watershed Development Program in Karnataka, India. Shirley earned a CDIP Internship and attended the Boston Finance Roadshow, and the New York Finance Roadshow. She was a member of the International Club and was awarded a Ladd Internship with Open the Door Inc. Shirley was Co-President of Salaam Namaste for which she helped coordinate celebrations of Diwali and Holi and co-choreographed Bollywood dances for the Sangai Asia show for the past four years. Shirley was also a Junior Adviser and a Residence Coordinator.
Theodore Sutherland, from Accra, Ghana, is an Economics major whose thesis added to the literature on food insecurity by explaining the partial adoption of conservation agricultural techniques in sub-Saharan Africa. He is a Senior Class Gift Committee Member and Co-President of the Senior Class. A member and organizer of the Mays Men on campus, Theodore traveled to Atlanta in 2008 for the inauguration of Robert M. Franklin as Morehouse College’s 10th president. He was the recipient of a Bates Phillips Student Fellowship which supported research he conducted while abroad in Monrovia, a Harward Center grant to work at MIT Sloan on corporate responsibility, a Bonner Leader grant to look at Senegalese school governance and the effect of teaching Arabic in formal education on Quaranic school education, and a Davis Fellowship for Peace to study Portuguese. Theodore was also a member of the Africana Club and the Co-Coordinator of the student-run organization Amandla! which promotes better understanding of many communities of the African dispora.
Blaise Thompson, from Iowa City, IA, is a Chemistry Major and Philosophy Minor. His thesis in Physical Chemistry under Dr. Matthew Cote concerned “Investigating Plasmons with Total Internal Reflection Microscopy,” and he presented his thesis research at the Mount David Summit this year. Blaise was the Freewill Folk Society Coordinator and an officer for OUTfront for the past three years. He also was a member of the Discordian Club for which he Co-coordinated the annual campus-wide Zombies vs Humans game. He swam Varsity Men’s Swimming his freshman year, and will be attending a PhD program in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the fall.
Patrick Williams from Boston, MA, is a Sociology Major and Co-President of the Senior Class. A four-year member of the Men’s Squash team, Patrick was named to the 2011 NESCAC Winter All-Sportsmanship Team. Patrick is a member of the Senior Gift Committee, and has been a Reunion BatesStar for the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement. He has also served Bates as a Residence Coordinator for JB, and served the Lewiston community as a Fall 2009 recipient of a competitive Arthur Crafts Service Grant to do Community-based learning work at Hillview Family Development and other Lewiston community agencies. He also received a Community Work Study Award in Summer 2010 to work at Lewiston’s Trinity Jubilee Center, where he ran and evaluated a squash program for immigrant and refugee boys. This work then resulted in a Harward Center Academic-Year Fellowship for continued work.
Junior Inductees
Kira Gavin from Lewiston ME, is a Psychology and Dance Double Major (For her thesis, she hopes to investigate a tailored, non-medication based intervention for children and adolescents with ADHD. Kira is a Dana Scholar, a member of the Modern Dance Club and the Modern Dance Company, for which she choreographed a piece for last year’s spring concert for the dance composition class and enjoyed seeing it onstage and listening to people’s reactions. Kira is also a founding member of Bates ViVo, the American Sign Language Club which is working toward providing interpreting services for Bates events open to the community so that community members who are Deaf and hard of hearing have access. She’s a founding member of Dynasty Step Team, and was a member of the Mission and Purposes Subcommittee of the NEASC Reaccreditation Committee last year.
Benjamin Hughes, from Forest Park, GA, served as Amandla’s treasurer and an event coordinator during his sophomore year. In the two years since the reformation of the Mays Men, Ben has served as an Executive Board member, coordinating the collaborative effort with the Women of Color and Office of Intercultural Education, the “Let’s Talk About It” campaign to foster conversation on campus about difficult issues. Ben is a program assistant for the Office of Intercultural Education, working on programs including the “How Much Hate Is Acceptable @ Bates?” forum, and was a student ambassador on the Offices of Intercultural Education and Advancement sponsored trip to Atlanta, speaking to students at Benjamin E. Mays High School; meeting with Atlanta-area Bates Alums; and visiting Morehouse College. This summer, he will work as a Fellow in the Office of Intercultural Education, developing programs for next year, and work with Dean Davis to construct the long-term strategic plan for the office.