Kacy Richmond '07 is awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Chile while Jen Trowbridge '04 uses her Fulbright Scholarship to work with the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala.
Two recent Haverford graduates are heading to Latin America courtesy of their recently awarded Fulbright scholarships. One will teach, one will conduct research, and both seek to positively affect the lives of those around them.
Starting in March 2008, Kacy Richmond '07 will be an assistant teacher of English literature at a university in Chile, and will also run a book program for children at a local library.“I want to get kids interested in books outside of the classroom,” says Richmond, who fondly remembers participating in read-alouds and arts and crafts activities as a child at her local library. In Chile, Richmond looks forward to sharing some of her childhood favorites in English and learning more about Chilean literature for children. She hopes the free events she will plan for children at the library will have a special appeal in Chile, where books are expensive.
A comparative literature major at Haverford, Richmond studied abroad in Santiago, Chile during her junior year. She is excited to return and to work closely with professors and students. By the end of her Fulbright year, she says,“I hope to feel like a part of the city where I will live.” Richmond currently works as an assistant paralegal at an immigration law firm.
Jen Trowbridge '04 is joining the Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala to exhume the mass graves of victims from the country's 36-year civil war. Using tests to determine the age, sex, stature and ancestry of the dead, Trowbridge and her group will try to identify each victim and determine exactly how he or she perished, as a way, she says, to“reveal the truth about what happened and give closure to the families of the victims.”
Trowbridge has always had a passion for anthropology and human rights. As an undergraduate she studied cultural anthropology at Bryn Mawr, and after graduating she assisted Associate Professor of Political Science Anita Isaacs with her research in Guatemala, interviewing people involved with the country's reconciliation process. Trowbridge then took a job with the Latin America Working Group, a Washington, D.C. non-governmental organization promoting U.S. policies in Latin America that reflect peace and justice. What most appeals to her about her upcoming project, she says, is that“forensic anthropology is a science in the service of human rights.”
Next summer, Trowbridge will return stateside, at which time she plans to pursue a joint graduate degree in forensic anthropology and international relations/human rights.
