2018-19 Fellows
Will Cullen ’19: A Comparative Analysis to Understand the Subnational Motivations for Renewable Energy Development in India
Will is a senior at CMC majoring in Environment, Economics, and Politics with a sequence in Human Rights Studies. He was born and raised outside of Washington, DC in Bethesda, MD. Will spent a semester in Silicon Valley and a semester studying abroad in India, where he conducted research on rural electrification policies under the United Nations Senior Advisor on Climate Change in Delhi. This past summer he returned to India to conduct research for his thesis and interned at a solar-based micro-grid company sponsored by the Mgrublian Center. He is excited to write his senior thesis on state-level variation of renewable energy policy in India, exploring the ways four states-- Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala-- implement Sustainable Development Goal 7, ensuring affordable, accessible, and clean energy for all. India has the world’s largest population of people without access to electricity: this “energy poverty” inhibits the full enjoyment of other established economic, social, and cultural rights. He hopes to understand how international sustainable development goals are implemented on the sub-national level and how each state can decarbonize its electricity supply while expanding access to all. On campus, Will also works as a Student Manager at the Roberts Environmental Center. He is grateful to the Mgrublian Center for its continued support, and he hopes to pursue a career in the intersection of human rights studies, environmental activism, and entrepreneurship.
Jafar Daniel ’20: Dreaming in Isolation: A History of the 1978 Student Movement at the Bandung Institute of Technology
Jafar is a junior at CMC from Jakarta, Indonesia, majoring in Sustainable Design and History. He is interested in writing about the history of neocolonialism in Indonesia. He is also interested in permaculture and the restoration of peat forests destroyed by monoculture palm oil. On campus, he works at the library and organizes music events.
Benjamin Dibble ’20: Failures of the International Community During the Rwandan Genocide
Ben is currently a junior at CMC and majors in International Relations with a geographic concentration on Africa. He grew up for most of his life in Concord, Massachusetts with his three sisters and parents. Because of his interest in US foreign policy, he decided to focus his research on the Rwandan genocide and the US's role in it. In his free time, he likes to hike, listen to music, and play with his dog.
Zubin Jotwani ’20: A Comparative Study on the Regional Variance in Partition Violence
Zubin is a junior at CMC majoring in Economics and History, with a particular interest in macroeconomics and Middle Eastern and South Asian history. Besides serving as a Research Fellow at the Mgrublian, he is a Research Assistant at the Lowe Institute of Political Economy. Zubin spent two months of last summer in New Delhi, and has two grandparents who were survivors of the Partition of India. Trying to better understand a significant part of his family history and his love for history as a discipline has provided the impetus for his current research. In researching the Partition, Zubin hopes to investigate why crimes against humanity occur and to shed light on one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes of the 20th century.
Matthew Leder ’22: The Life and Legacy of Phil Raucher
Matt is a first-year at CMC intending to major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a sequence in Jewish Studies. He is from Washington, D.C. and previously attended Georgetown Day School. Since he was young, Matt has had a passion for storytelling. When he started film-making, he learned that the visual medium was an extremely powerful method to articulate one's message. Throughout high school Matt created a variety of promotional and documentary-style videos for boxers, immigrants, non-profits and many more. After learning more about his family's history from his Grandfather, he became interested in studying the Holocaust. With fascist sentiments rising worldwide, Matt believes that now is an extremely important time for a reminder about its dangers.
Zachery Linden '22: To What Extent Do Chinese Government’s Repressive Policies Contribute to Uyghurs’ Desire for Independence?
Zach is a freshman at CMC, seeking to major in Economics and International Relations. He is always interested in human rights, especially those of Uyghurs, a muslim minority in China. Having lived in China, Zach witnessed the widespread islamophobia and government oppression against ethnic minorities. This sparked his interest in searching for the root of Uyghur discontent and the influence of government oppression. He hopes that his research would help Uyghurs achieve justice and equality in China.
Naseem Nazari ’21: LGBTQ+ Rights in India: the History and Repeal of Section 377
Naseem is a sophomore from Claremont, California studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). Naseem's interest in India was spurred this past summer when she interned with Pratham USA, an nonprofit dedicated to education development in India. Her interest in India was further stimulated after learning about the country's government and history in her comparative government course. Her topic of research was actually inspired while working on a class presentation pertaining to the decriminalization of HIV/AIDs in India. She is planning on traveling to India this winter to speak with scholars and conduct field research. During her free time, Naseem loves to hike the Claremont Wilderness Trail with her dog, Joon, and to paint.
Angel Ornelas ’21: LGBTQ Rights in Mexican States
Angel is a sophomore at CMC dual majoring in History and also interested in Latin American Studies and Spanish literature. He plans on attending law school in order to pursue a career in civil rights advocacy. Angel grew up in Dallas, TX surrounded by a predominantly Mexican community. Growing up with immigrant parents allowed him to better understand the immigrant struggle for many Latinxs migrating to the United States. This sparked an interest in better understanding his identity as a queer Mexican man. He hopes to better understand the evolution of laws regarding queer folks in Mexico and the historical implications of Mexico’s attitude towards queerness. On campus, Angel is a co-event planner for 1Gen, and serves as a mentor for the Chicano Latino Student Affairs (CLSA) office and the Queer Resource Center (QRC).
Hephzibah Oyibo ’21: Separation of Church and State in Nigeria: the Path to Gender Equality?
Zibah is a sophomore majoring in International Relations and Literature. She was born in Nigeria and spent a few years in school in England and now currently live in the US. On campus, Zibah is on the Gould Center advisory board, a liaison for the literature department and also work as a research assistant for a professor in the modern languages department. Over the summer she was an Appel Fellow and while writing about notions of home and identity she was able to travel to Nigeria. Since then, she's been increasingly curious about exploring what feminism for Nigerian women means and in order to tackle this topic is going to be exploring how factors such as religion and the government hinder Nigerian women’s rights.